It seems appropriate that someone who rings a bell for the Salvation Army won the big prize at this year’s Sapulpa Main Street Jingle Bells Sweepstakes.
David Jones, who has spent the last four years as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army during the holiday season, was ecstatic as he ran to the stage when he heard his number called.
News On 6’s Lacey Swope, who usually emcees the event, called out three other winning ticket numbers for the $10,000 prize before Jones’ number came up.
The event started at a sunny 1 PM, but two-and-a-half hours later, the temperatures had been steadily dropping, and the wind was picking up. The crowd was hoping it would be over soon, either so they could win or so they could go home.
It seems to be very much a “reap what you sow” kind of story, but even in his own good fortune, Jones was determined to be a blessing to others.
“The first thousand dollars I’m going to give to the Salvation Army in Sapulpa,” he said. “Then I’m going to help myself, and then I’m going to help my family.”
“I’m in a place where I need to help myself first,” he continued. “And my family knows that. But before any of that, I’m going to give to the Salvation Army. I’ve been there for four years, and they help so many people,” he said.
A total of six prizes were awarded, with the first three being $500, the next two being $1000 and the big $10,000 that everyone was hoping for.
Don’t miss out! The final $500 prize for the 2025 Jingle Bells Sweepstakes will go out this week and will be announced in the Sapulpa Times. Stay tuned to find out if you won!
No Jingle Bells in 2026
Sapulpa Main Street Director Cindy Lawrence said that with the return of the Christmas Chute in 2026, this may be the last time we see a Jingle Bells Sweepstakes in Sapulpa.
The decision comes after experience taught the committee that during the Christmas Chute, the majority of tickets being handed out were to folks who didn’t live in the area.
“We were giving out so many tickets to people who lived out of town and weren’t able to make it back, it really wasn’t worth it,” Lawrence said.
The lack of a Jingle Bells Sweepstakes isn’t expected to impact sales at the participating retailers, which saw immense growth as the Christmas Chute grew in popularity.
The $500 winners
The $1000 Winners
Several winners weren’t present
As longtime participants would know, one of the rules of the sweepstakes is that you have to be present to win. Eight tickets were announced that were not in the crowd. Would you have won? Here are the winning tickets that were called before someone finally claimed them:
Prize 1 $500
- 033194
- 241507
- 167430
- 202352 (Winner: Melanie Kester)
Prize 2 $500
- 431671 (Winner: Regina and Addison Donaldson)
Prize 3 $500
- 426656
- 122312
- 273706 (Winner: Rhonda McMunn – This ticket was from Sapulpa Times!)
Prize 4 $1000
- 195080
- 467397 (Winner: Roger McDougal)
Prize 5 $1000
- 051258 (Winner: Sherry Barnes – This ticket was from The Make Sense Foundation)
Prize 6 $10,000
- 160349
- 347395
- 096602
- 337797 (Winner: David Jones – Ticket came from Reasor’s)
