By KEN STEADMAN

For The Vista

It was a very successful Reverse Raffle drawing for the Fairfield Glade Lions Club. recently.

The Fairfield Glade  Community & Conference Center was filled with at least 200 people awaiting the excitement of having their number be one of the last three drawn.

Gordon Stack from Peg Broadcasting Station 102.5 WOW Country served as the Master of Ceremonies again this year and kept the audience entertained as he called out all 500 Raffle Ticket numbers

Pictured are the major prize winners of the Lions Reverse Raffle. (L-R) Bill Murphy ($1,500 Community Club gift card); Bill Silence ($7,000 cash Grand Prize); and Larry Beamer- $2,000.

Forty gifts worth at least $50 apiece from local merchants were given to every 15th number drawn. 50/50 tickets were sold with a chance to try your luck in the First National Bank of Tennessee Cash Machine as well as receiving 50% of the $466.00 cash collected.

Now, for the winners of the last three numbers:  Second from last Prize Winner Bill Murphy received the $1,500 FFG Community Club gift card.

Next to Last Prize Winner Larry Beamer selected $2,000 cash instead of the Best Buy Electronics Package.

And, the Grand Prize Winner was Bill Silence who chose $7,000 cash instead of the $8,000 Romance Package to The Reefs in Southhampton, Bermuda.

The final drawing for the evening was for the “2nd Change” opportunity for those who had not received any prize at all. This award was a $100 gift certificate from Wal-Mart through the courtesy of Progressive Savings Bank. Mr. James Winchester finished the evening with this prize.

The Fairfield Glade Lions Club is pleased to announce the profits for this year’s Third Annual Event netted slightly over $13,600. This amount will be distributed to:

• Lions White Cane Program that supports the ongoing work of the Lions District 12-0 Eye Bank and Sight Services; Leader Dog for the Blind; Learning Ally who provide recordings for the blind and Dyslexic; Lions World Service for the Blind; Tennessee School for the Blind and Tennessee School for the Deaf.

• Student Scholarship Program for local needy students.

• Purchase three (3) new Audiometer Machines to test hearing of Cumberland Count School children.

• Donation to Lions Club International Foundation.

The Reverse Raffle Committee is already starting plans for the Fourth Annual Reverse Raffle to be held late summer of 2013. It has been recommended that only 500 tickets be made available again at a cost of $50 each.