The ace chase continues: McIvers grand prize unclaimed for 49th week

Defying the odds, the ace of spades remained elusive Sunday evening in McIvers, meaning the 49thweek of the community's outrageously popular Chase the Ace fundraiser came and went without a grand prize winner.

"It was quite the hush, you wouldn't believe how quiet it gets" said Sterling Lawrence, one of the organizers, of the big moment when Desmond Ball of Deer Lake took to the stage to try his luck at picking the right card.

"It'sdefinitely exciting, when it comes down to the final few minutes."

However, Ball drew the six of diamonds, missing out on the night's big jackpot of about $540,000, andtaking home a consolation prize of $62,358 instead.

"It was a mixed reaction," Lawrence admitted. While the town's Come Home Year 2017Committee, who are putting off the big event, have been raking in the cash over the course of the fundraiser, a little bit of the shine has come off their Sunday evenings.

"Some of the volunteers are getting a little weary, so some of the faces dropped," he told CBC Radio's Corner Brook Morning Show.

"There's some light at the end of the tunnel, and then when the dust settles we'll see about the money and where it's going to go."

Lawrence said 4,415 people came through the McIvers Community Hall doors on Sunday evening,with290 people inside the hall for the moment of the draw and another 800 or so eagerly waiting outside. Overall, the fundraiser raked in $312,000 for the night.

• No winner, but $46K consolation awarded as chase the ace continues in McIvers

Three cards now remain for next week's draw, and Sterling said everyone would be happy to see the big payout come at long last.

The fundraiser first began on Oct. 18, 2015.