Comment on $3.4 million on the line

Linda Nelson, auxiliary membership chairwoman with the McHenry Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4600, said as of 10 a.m. Sunday, about 40,000 tickets for the latest Queen of Hearts drawing have been sold. This marks a significant downturn from the hundreds of thousands of tickets collected every week last year which eventually required the VFW to switch from a 5,000-gallon drum to a giant horse trough to hold them all. “Your chances will be great this first week,” Nelson said. However, with new upgrades to the building and more being planned, Nelson said she’s looking forward to holding big crowds once again hankering for a shot at a jackpot currently worth $3.4 million. Jim Cichon of Chicago said when he came to the McHenry VFW’s Queen of Hearts raffle last year, he noticed many people creating problems. With the hundreds of attendees swarming the building every Tuesday to try and be the lucky winner of a pot that peaked at more than $7 million, Cichon said there were a lot of problems with people obeying the proper signage to guide traffic. But with a new parking lot set up, Cichon said that the VFW is trying to make a better community and he is ready to play for the new pot. “If it’s meant to happen, it’s meant to happen,” Cichon said as he bought tickets Sunday. The first Queen of Hearts drawing will take place 8 p.m.