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We have a winner! Sparta resident takes home $1.5 million Queen of Hearts jackpot

STEELEVILLE - Brian and Debbie Parks of Sparta are Randolph County's newest millionaires.

Brian Parks was the lucky winner of the $1.5 million jackpot in the Queen of Hearts drawing hosted by the Steeleville American Legion.

Parks was the winner out of literally thousands of hopefuls who got into the April 19 drawing.

Ironically, his celebration was short-lived. The employee of Spartan Light Metals had to report to work for his shift shortly after completing the required paperwork at the American Legion.

Parks and his wife, Debbie - who also works at Spartan Light Metals - said they do not have any immediate plans to retire.

For security reasons, Queen of Hearts Emcee Mike Kuehnle said Parks received $500 cash on the spot, and will claim the rest later through a cashier's check at a local bank.

Parks' good fortune was the conclusion of one of the biggest drawings of its kind in southern Illinois area. Going for an extended period without a winner, the jackpot continued to grow and word spread, drawing people from throughout the region.

Lines to purchase tickets extended out the door and around the building the week before the drawing, and throughout most of the week Queen of Hearts staff had to sell tickets out of the main auditorium at the Legion due to the large volume of purchasers.

Because of the attention the large jackpot was drawing, Queen of Hearts staff decided they would continue to draw tickets until a winner was found. When the evening began, 11 cards remained on the Queen of Hearts player board. When Parks made his winning selection, there were four cards left on the board.

About 15,000 people crammed into the Legion grounds for the event, creating a carnivallike atmosphere. Police were brought in to handle traffic and crowd control as streets were crowded with cars and people sold parking spaces on their properties for $10 to $25 per spot.

To expand the chance for a winner, officials also decided before the drawing to sell tickets at $1 apiece, instead of the usual $5 for seven or $10 for 15 tickets.

Queen of Hearts officials said the next drawing won't occur until next month at the earliest to give the town a break from the extra traffic and other inconveniences.

Leftover funds from previous drawings will be used to establish the jackpot for the next one, they added.

Brian and Debbie Parks hug each other after Brian selected the winning card in the $1.5 million Queen of Hearts jackpot at the Steeleville American Legion. Shot by Shields photo
Bruce Fiene of the Steeleville American Legion points at the winning number. Shot by Shields photo