Ever vigilant about potential scam calls, Elinor Warner thought someone might be playing a trick on her when she got a call telling her she’d won a shopping spree.
But it was no joke; the Coldstream senior had won the second annual Morning Star contest and a $2,024 prize to shop at local businesses.
As the contest winner, Warner was chauffeured around town Friday, April 12, to three participating businesses of her choice: RONA and Simply Delicious in Vernon and the Back to Earth gift shop in Lavington. At each stop, she met with store owners and managers who gave her gift cards totalling $2,024 — one dollar more than last year’s prize.
“It’s exciting, and we got to meet new people,” Warner said at the end of her tour around town.
Warner was thrilled to pick up her prize at RONA, where she entered into the contest in the 11th hour.
“The girl at the counter in RONA was really, really nice, and she said ‘it’s the last day of the contest, you should enter,’” Warner recalled.
Asked what her first purchase with the prize money will be, Warner said she’ll be heading to the gardening section of RONA tomorrow to pick up three bags of dirt, with plans to grow hanging tomatoes.
Times are tight and paying for groceries as a senior is a challenge, which is why Warner chose to include Simply Delicious in her shopping spree.
“Seniors don’t have that much money and even paying for groceries is a tough thing,” Warner said, gift cards in hand.
The Morning Star would like to thank the more than 1,700 people who entered into this year’s contest, and the seven businesses that participated.
Keep an eye out for next year’s contest!
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