'Everybody stepped up' to continue success of Northbrook Days Festival raffle

Years from now Northbrook residents can point to the unique success that was the 2020 Northbrook Days Festival raffle.

The COVID-19 pandemic canceled the Northbrook Civic Foundation's top fundraiser but it didn't take down the raffle, whose winners were announced in a live Facebook broadcast on Aug. 9.

Festival chairman Matt Settler was still finalizing paperwork and accounting figures, but on Monday he estimated the raffle raised roughly $35,000 to $40,000.

Northbrook residents Katy and Sandie Huberty won the $10,000 grand prize drawing from the 50/50 raffle. The big prize would not have been awarded had not a threshold of 2,000 tickets been sold.

Even without five days of festival sales to support it, the raffle drew far more interest than that.

"I am so proud of our organization, everybody stepped up," said festival chairman Matt Settler, whose goal was to raise $30,000.

"I'm so proud of the community that they would come out like that and be able to give back. We normally sell 5,000 to 5,500 tickets and we were just short of 5,000," he said.

Nearly 30 other people earned prizes of all varieties, from restaurant certificates to an overnight stay at a Hilton hotel to a Trek bicycle from George Garner Cyclery in Northbrook.

Given the rush on bikes once the pandemic shut down nearly every indoor exercise option, the Cyclery had fortunately committed to its donation in January.

Succeeding at what Settler called the fundraiser's "mission," he said the Civic Foundation will also be able to provide scholarships to students in the Class of 2021. Nominated by school guidance counselors, 11 students from the Class of 2020 received funds from the 2019 raffle.

The success of the prize drawings being streamed on Facebook means there's a "good possibility" that portion will remain in practice, Settler said.

That's a COVID success story. Here's another one.

"I think we've proven that hard work pays off," Settler said.