The Ogle County Republican Party, one of the oldest county Republican organizations in the nation, celebrated its most successful annual drawdown raffle in history on Thursday, March 12, at the Rock River Center in Oregon.

Held days before the St. Patrick’s Day primary, this year’s event drew community support, selling out all 128 tickets – an increase from the traditional limit of 100 – due to demand. The expansion allowed organizers to award three additional cash prizes, bringing the total to 15 winners and distributing more than $5,600 in winnings overall. The grand prize of $2,000 went to John Dickson of Oregon.

“For over two decades, we capped tickets at 100, but popular demand prompted us to expand to 128 this year,” said Mike Koolidge, chairman of the Ogle County Republican Party. “Selling out completely once again, even with the added tickets, speaks volumes about the community’s enthusiasm and commitment to our shared values. This was truly a team effort, with our dedicated executive board –Kaleb Kennay, Kevin Colbert, George Wilhelmsen, Karl Hanson, Tricia Goodwin and Joseph Simms – investing countless hours in ticket sales and event coordination, alongside an outstanding group of volunteers united in keeping Ogle County red and helping turn our state around.”

The St. Patrick’s Day-themed evening featured corned beef and cabbage sliders, salad, mostaccioli, pizza and Republican-themed cookies by Dee’s Dough Jo for dessert.

Darin LaHood for Congress and Ted Dabrowski for governor helped sponsor the event, and U.S. Senate Republican candidate Don Tracy delivered the keynote address, offering a call to flip the open Illinois U.S. Senate seat from Democrat to Republican in the November election.

The highlight remained the signature drawdown raffle, where ticket stubs were drawn from a transparent rotating container and posted on the newly painted red drawdown board. This year’s upgraded board incorporated bonus trivia questions, with correct answers earning winners a choice of prizes donated by precinct committeeman Aaron Mudge: 3D-printed replicas of the Ogle County Courthouse or Chief Blackhawk, a copy of “Lies My Liberal Teacher Taught Me” by Dr. Wilfred Reilly, or a “Make Education Great Again” T-shirt.

Looking ahead, Koolidge emphasized the organization’s momentum and opportunities for involvement.

“Grassroots passion continues to grow, fueled by national progress on securing our borders, removing criminal illegal aliens, and addressing global threats like Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” Koolidge said. “Failed Democrat policies here in our state however have broken Illinois. We can fix it by talking to neighbors and getting every Republican to the polls.

“As we prepare to celebrate America’s 250th birthday this summer, we’ll be participating in nearly every county parade and always welcome new walkers with us. Most importantly, we’ve doubled our precinct committeemen ranks in the past year and are constantly welcoming new faces at our meetings. We still do have some open precincts, so anyone interested in getting involved should reach out. We meet the last Tuesday of every month on the third floor of the Ogle County Courthouse in Oregon.“

Established in the late 1850s, the Ogle County Republican Party has played a central role in a county that has voted Republican in every presidential election since Abraham Lincoln. As the official Republican organization in the county, it works to recruit, train and elect principled Republican candidates at the local, state and federal levels; support voter registration and turnout efforts; and engage citizens in the political process.

For more information, visit www.oglecountygop.org or follow them on Facebook.