For years, an eastern Iowa man remembered that someone had won big with a lottery ticket they bought at a local convenience store. So he decided he also would regularly buy his ticket there, thinking that perhaps lottery luck could strike twice. It turns out, he was right.
Brian Delagardelle of Jesup claimed a $1 million Powerball prize this afternoon here at lottery headquarters in Clive with a ticket he bought at the Pronto convenience store, 7305 La Porte Road in Washburn, a small community near Waterloo in Black Hawk County.
Back in November 1988, Michael Frost of La Porte City won $2.7 million in the Iowa LOTTO game with a ticket he bought at the same location. The business has changed names a few times through the years, but now two big-prize winning tickets have been purchased at that same small-town spot.
Delagardelle, the public works director for the city of Gilbertville, said he used his smartphone early yesterday to check the results of Saturday’s Powerball drawing, and he thought he had at least a few numbers right. So he called his long-time girlfriend, Michele Smith of Manchester, to see if she could double-check his information. Did I mention it was really early?
Michelle came with Brian to the lottery as he claimed his prize. She said that when her phone rang at 6 a.m. yesterday, she immediately thought something was wrong. But after Brian asked her to go to her computer and check the lottery website to see what the winning numbers Powerball were, they decided they thought he had won a $1 million prize. Later that day, they heard through the small-town grapevine that the lottery had contacted the Pronto store where he bought his ticket. That convinced them that he really had won big.
Brian spent time today checking with an accountant before he came forward to claim his prize. He said he plans to invest most of his winnings for retirement. But he has a mad-money project in mind as well, it’s just not what you might think. He wants to buy a tractor.
Brian said he needs a different tractor for mowing and other chores, and his son works for the company that sells tractors painted in green (I’m sure you know the one), so that’s likely the direction he’ll go.
Congrats on your big win, Brian! We hope you find just the right tractor!
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