The Chase the Ace craze that was felt throughout Cape Breton is back.
The wildly popular fundraising game attracted thousands and brought in millions over the summer.
“The probability of it growing to that size again is something we don't expect, but we've learned to expect the unexpected, because the other draw when we entered it we didn't expect a take of nearly $6 million in sales,” said MacQuarrie.
The local legion and the Inverness Cottage Workshop were the beneficiaries of the money raised.
In total, 3.5 million tickets were sold, generating $5.9 million. The cottage workshop, which provides skills training for adults with intellectual disabilities, says it still needs to raise more money to get work done.
“We purchased a building in town and we are renovating that to have a new space for the operations we run,” said Cindy O’Neil, Inverness Cottage Workshop director.
The most recent draw took on a life of its own, drawing international attention and unpresented crowds to the small community.
MacQuarrie says Inverness residents hope the new draw can get to that point again.
“It's such a change, the tempo, the hustle of bustle, the prep, everything is so much easier to contend with,” said MacQuarrie. “The committee, with all the experience in the last one, now it's a piece of cake.”
There is a guaranteed jackpot of $5,000. Speaking from experience, MacQuarrie says it doesn’t take long to grow and generate excitement.
“It's on the table now,” said MacQuarrie. “So if it goes today, it's $5,000 into someone’s pocket. If it doesn't go today, 30 per cent is added to it directly. So it's starts to build right after today if it doesn't go.”
Officials hope they can once again experience the big crowds and carnival-like excitement the village welcomed for many weeks.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.
