Hello! My name is Avery Wilson and I am a Senior at Skutt Catholic High School. I grew up attending the Santa Lucia festival, eating ravioli and dancing to the band. My great-grandmother was from Carlentini, so representing my Italian heritage has always been important to me. I’m involved in many things at Skutt Catholic, such as being co-president of our biotechnology club and I am on the core team for our health occupations club. I also enjoy spending time with my friends through our Discipleship group. Going to Skutt has really helped me grow in my faith and giving back to our community, and my favorite tradition is our Community Involvement Day where we’ve volunteered at through various sites such as schools and Open Door Mission. In my free time I like to play my guitar and go for walks outside in nature. I also play outfield at Skutt and for my summer team, Primetime. I plan to continue my academics and softball career at Morningside University to study biology and later genetics in graduate school.
Proceeds from the raffle will be used to provide scholarships to the Queen Candidates and support the Santa Lucia Festival Committee in providing an annual festival celebrating Santa Lucia, preserving the Italian heritage of Omaha’s Little Italy, and supporting organizations and individuals whose purpose is spiritual and charitable, in the Spirit of Santa Lucia.
Raffle tickets may be purchased in person or online between the dates of 03/09/2026 and 06/06/2026. If purchasing online tickets, payment must be made with a debit card per Nebraska Lottery and Raffle guidelines.
Winners will be drawn following the Queen’s Coronation on Sunday 06/07/2026. This will be a live drawing, but you do not need to be present to win.
Winners will be contacted by the SLFC Committee within five business days of the drawing. Winners can also reach out to the Committee to arrange payment at
Treasurer@SantaLuciaFestival.com.
This Raffle will follow Federal IRS Guidelines and the Nebraska Lottery and Raffle Act which requires the Winner to complete Form 5754 and the Committee to provide a W-2G for any prize of at least $1500. The SLFC will not withhold any taxes on winnings that do not exceed $5,000.
1st prize: $1500.00 Airline Gift Card
2nd prize: Espresso Machine
3rd prize: $100.00 amazon gift card
There is no age requirement to purchase or sell a raffle ticket under the Special Permit as set forth in the Nebraska Lottery and Raffle Act.
The very first queen was named in the festival’s 5th year, 1929. In those early days, the committee had difficulty narrowing down the list of potential candidates. Many young women in the Little Italy neighborhood dreamed of being named the Santa Lucia Festival Queen.
The tradition of naming a Santa Lucia Festival Queen was a way to honor those families that displayed their financial generosity to the festival committee. Candidates would raise money through a ticket raffle. The candidate, who sold the most tickets, raising the most money, would be honored as queen. It was a way for young women and their families to show their devotion to Santa Lucia.
The funds generated all went toward planning and preparations for the next year’s festival.
Without former queens and candidates, it would have been difficult for the festival to run consecutively for over ten decades.
Today’s Queen is selected based on three criteria
* Academics * Community Service * Raffle Ticket Sales *
Mission Statement:
To provide citizens of Omaha with an annual festival celebrating Santa Lucia, to preserve the rich Italian heritage of Omaha’s Little Italy, and to support organizations and individuals whose purpose is spiritual and charitable, in the Spirit of Santa Lucia.
