I got to have some fun last week in western Iowa, catching up with one of our $1 million winners who's now being filmed for a national TV show.
In January 2006, Logan farmer John Straight won the top prize of $1 million in our "Thanks A Million" promotion. Last week, a camera crew was in Harrison County, filming Straight, his family and other local folks for an episode of "The Lottery Changed My Life" series on The Learning Channel.
John Straight's story is a fun one: The "Thanks A Million!" game and promotion were part of the celebration of the lottery's 20th anniversary. Players who didn't win a prize on their $10 Thanks A Million scratch tickets could send them in for a second-chance drawing that offered 11 cash prizes of up to $1 million. John's ticket was selected as the grand-prize winner.
We decided to surprise John with the news, so we worked with the Straights' friends and family to plan a little party. The local bank vice president told John, a history buff, a tall tale about having some old pictures for him to check out. Loads of friends and family all gathered in a conference room at the bank and we hid around the corner with a big ceremonial check, some balloon bouquets and a camera crew.
And we waited. And we waited. And we waited…
And finally, the bank got a call from John: He and his wife, Debbie, were running late because their cows had been out! When they finally arrived, we surprised them with the big news, presented them with the big check, and there were cheers all around!
Five years later, John and Debbie are still happy on their family farm near Logan. They've used John's winnings to buy a combine, a couple tractors, and a Corvette, although John wants everyone to know he bought it used!
I got to tell the camera crew the story of our surprise party for the Straights and then afterwards, I caught up with John and Debbie. Check out their pic above: You'll see that John is still wearing his 20th anniversary lottery T-shirt! Thanks for helping to spread the word, John!
And as for that oversized check from the lottery? The Straights had it framed and it hangs in their house as evidence of John's big win in case someone doesn't believe their story!