Hurley woman wins Bessemer 50/50 raffle prize

BESSEMER-The big Bessemer Blast 50/50 jackpot of $30,494 has officially been claimed by a Hurley resident.

The lucky winner of the the grand prize was Ironwood native Janelle Worthington with ticket number 33820.

For as long she can remember, Worthington said she has participated in the raffle as a family tradition,

"When I was a child, my mom would always buy a ticket and put our initials on the ticket," she said. "She would get one for me and my brother."

In attendance at the parade, Worthington said she enjoyed spending time with her family.

"We had fun. My children really enjoyed it," she said. "My son, he's 3, was dancing in the street, waving to everyone and wearing his America clothes. He was extremely excited."

Once all the other floats had gone by, it was time to announce the winning ticket number on the last float.

As she read the numbers on the float, Worthington said she was shocked to see the numbers on one of her 35 tickets.

"I couldn't believe it," she said. "It was so surreal. Then I thought, 'I need to get home, and get the tickets safe.' I didn't tell anybody, just my Mom."

With all that money, Worthington said she's not going to spend her winnings all at one place and use it wisely.

"I don't plan on shopping," she said. "I plan putting it in the bank and having a nice down payment for the house. I think it's going to make my mortgage cheaper."

Since the Bessemer 50/50 raffle began 26 years ago, raffle coordinator Mark Malmberg said the jackpot keeps growing.

"Over the years, it has grown immensely," Malmberg said. "Starting with a winning prize of roughly $2,700 26 years ago to now, this is our highest winner ever."

It wasn't easy, but Malmberg said he's pleased with how the team of raffle ticket sellers did.

"It was our goal of the 50/50 team to meet the $30,000 prize this year," Malmberg said. "They worked hours, countless hours, and we achieved our goal."

For all their hard work, Worthington thanked the organizers of the Bessemer Fourth of July events.

"They put on an amazing week-long event for everyone in the area, for children. It's greatly appreciated," she said.