Paugan Falls Rapids

By Trevor Greenway

To say that the Chase the Ace fundraiser was a success for the Low arena would be a massive understatement. 

The arena made a whopping near half million dollars – $484,000 to be exact – through CHGA 97.3 FM’s community fundraiser, which saw Ottawa resident Tony Snow win a life-changing $3.8 million. The fundraiser also fed money to several up-the-line organizations, including the Low Heritage Hall, Be and Become youth centre and the Gatineau Valley Retirement Village. 

While the Gatineau Valley Arena doesn’t have a full tally on how many tickets they sold, volunteer Scott Mahoney said it was “far and away the most sold by any of the charities involved.”

“It just took off,” said arena coordinator Mahoney, referring to the wave of ticket sales that picked up after the first few weeks of the contest. He praised community members like Lisa Brown and Lisa Fleury, who were getting requests to buy tickets through e-transfers from dozens of locals. “It’s mostly about the people; the community. If you don’t have the people buying tickets, you’re dead in the water. People were buying tickets from Buckingham right to Gatineau and Ottawa.”

People were certainly buying tickets. When the Low Down was driving through Gracefield in mid-September, the town’s Ultramar gas station was a hubbub of activity, with locals and tourists frantically filling out scores of entry forms. 

The radio station drew tickets weekly, and if someone’s name was drawn, they would win the weekly prize – sometimes upwards of $200,000 – and also a chance to pull the ace of spades from a series of envelopes. The contest got more and more popular as the weeks went on, as the pot kept getting bigger and bigger after weekly draw winners consistently failed to pull the ace of spades from one of the envelopes, until there was just one single envelope left. That meant whoever’s name was drawn would be the grand-prize winner of $3.8 million – in this case it was Ottawa’s Snow, who purchased his ticket at the Low arena. 

According to Mahoney, the arena has used the money on some much-needed repairs, including an entire kitchen renovation, extensive work on the ice plant and an upgraded second-hand Zamboni, which means no more holes in the ice during Paugan Falls Rapids playoff games. 

“We put money into every aspect you could think of,” said Mahoney, adding that the rink’s doors and windows have also been upgraded. “The kitchen has been transformed.”

Cash comes Rapid-ly (Subhed)

The money comes at the perfect time as the Rapids are set to open their season in the Eastern Ontario Super Hockey League at home on Oct. 5 when they host their rivals, the Arnprior Rivermen. Doors open at 5 p.m. and TSN’s sports reporter AJ Jakubec will host a ceremonial puck drop at 7 p.m. Get your tickets at www.pauganfallsrapids.com