It’s time to have a grand Christmas again, seven times over.
Tickets for this year’s “Seven Grand in Hand” went on sale at the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. The tickets will be sold through Nov. 28 when a drawing will be held to award $7,000 in Shop Emporia gift certificates.
Each ticket includes a coupon for $5 off any purchase over $25 from participating merchants. The grand prize winner will take home $3,000 in gift certificates.
This is the second year for the contest, and this year, there’s a new twist. Each coupon has a “second chance” ticket that allows the user to enter a Jan. 2 drawing for five $100 Shop Emporia certificates. The $5 coupon must be used before the ticket can be detached.
“We’re hoping that now that we’ve done it one year, even more people will be excited about it,” chamber President Jeanine McKenna said. “It would be great if it grew each year and became a big deal for the community.”
Tickets last year were drawn by Santa Claus. McKenna said there has been no word from the North Pole yet about whether there will be a repeat performance.
Tickets will be accepted at the chamber, 719 Commercial St., through 4 p.m. on Nov. 28. The drawing will be at 6 p.m. before the Christmas lighting dedication.