Although organizers say ticket sales for the Great River Raffle have increased in the past few weeks, the drawing has been postponed in ordered to meet the “break even” point.

Originally set for June 27, the drawing, put on by the Friends of Ironton, has been moved to Saturday, Sept. 26.

In order for the raffle to take place, 5,500 tickets must be sold to break even with the cost of prizes that will be awarded.

“The GRR committee strongly believes in the short and long-term impact this raffle will have on the Tri-State community, particularly downtown Ironton,” according to a press release from the committee. “Many communities across the nation conduct annual raffles similar to GRR to raise funds for infrastructure improvements and to provide a yearly festivity for its citizens. Niche events such as GRR are a great way to bring guests to Tri-State communities, the impact of which ultimately helps everyone.”

GRR committee member Jon Ferguson said the committee was working to get an accurate number of tickets sold. In April, about 3,500 tickets had been sold.

“We’re working with our retail locations to get an accurate count,” he said.

Ferguson said the committee hopes to get a boost in sales, especially in August.

“We will definitely use the Rally (on the River) to try and boost the sales there,” Ferguson said.

The raffle is a project of the FIO in which money from ticket sales is put into the local economy to buy prizes, as well as using funds to continue the Ro-Na Theater restoration and other community projects.

“We see it as a huge benefit for the community,” Ferguson said.

Some of the larger prizes include cars, campers, boats, RVs and motorcycles from local business like Bob Clyse Chevrolet Buick GMC, Summit RV, Malone’s Marine, Harmon Motors and Charlie’s Harley-Davison. There will also be multiple cash prizes, with the grand prize being $50,000.

Tickets are $100 each and are available for sale at Pack Horse and Spriggs Distributing. Tickets are also available online at www.greatriverraffle.com. Winning tickets go back into the drawing for chances at additional prizes.

“If ticket sales are still below 5,500 in mid-September, the event will be cancelled and all ticket holders will be reimbursed,” according to the release. “The GRR committee apologizes for any inconvenience and hopes to make it up to everyone in September.”