The Pop in to Win contest offered by Estevan Mercury Publication and Power Dodge wrapped up on July 31 with a big party and some very lucky winners in what will be Estevan’s biggest summer giveaway.
More than 600 people turned out for the draw event at the Power Dodge Curling Centre. Jaret Yanyu proved to be the winner of the new red Fiat Pop car.
Hundreds of finalists whose names were drawn over the course of the nine-week promotion turned out. They had to be present for the draw to be eligible to win.
But many of the finalists showed up with family members and friends, and there were members of the public who showed up because they wanted to see who won.
A fundraising supper was prepared by the Estevan Humane Society, with hamburgers, hot dogs and taco in a bag available. It raised $2,246.
The humane society also sold tickets for its upcoming Duck Derby, which will take place on Sept. 8 at the Woodlawn Regional Park’s free park.
Coldstare, a local band comprised of students from the Estevan Comprehensive School, performed classic rock music to the delight of the crowd.
At 7 p.m., it was time for the draw to occur and for the prizes to be awarded. Richard Sadick, the publisher for the Mercury, opened with a brief statement, in which he thanked everybody for entering the draw and attending the event, and he applauded the businesses who supported this ambitious promotion.
Then the names of the five finalists were drawn. Yanyu, Lori Gonas, Bruce Ward, John Nichols and Amber Mantei each grabbed a balloon that had their prize inside.
Then they popped the balloon and read out their prize. Yanyu proclaimed he had won the car to applause from the crowd.
The other finalists were also winners. Gonas won a play structure from RE/MAX Blue Chip Realty, Ward won a new recliner from The Brick, Nichols took home a Weber barbecue from Johnson Plumbing and Heating, and Mantei won a bed in a bag prize from Room by Room Furniture.
Yanyu said he was excited to see the slip of paper that indicated he won the car, and he was looking forward to taking it out for a spin. It’s a great looking vehicle, too.
He entered the contest at a couple of the participating businesses. Draw boxes were set up at locations throughout the community.
It was a great contest, he said, and the event when the prize winners were drawn proved to be a great night. He had a good idea of how many people were entered, and it was fun to see just how many other people showed up.
Rob Seibel, the sales manager for Power Dodge, said this was a great promotion to be part of. He thought it was great to see so many people turn out for the draw.
“It just goes to show how well everything was run, and to see that many people out to support the community – and … the humane society, who hosted the event as far as the food vendor went – it was amazing to see,” said Seibel.
Members of the Power Dodge sales team and other employees from the company were also present for the draw.
He knew this was a great promotion for the business, and they look forward to doing something again with the Mercury.
“Power Dodge is always very dominant in the city of Estevan, doing a lot of things on an ongoing basis, supporting the (Estevan Bruins) and the curling club,” said Seibel.
He drove the car – which was easy to spot with all of the promotion graphics attached to it – on a few occasions. He described it as a fun car to drive, with lots of pep, great fuel economy and a great look for both the interior and the exterior.
“I’m very happy that it went to some very nice people,” he said.
