ALGONA – A recent trip to the grocery store ended up being lucky for a North Iowa woman.
Shari Beenken of Titonka said she stopped in late October at Hy-Vee, 1500 Hwy. 169 N. in Algona and decided to buy a “Holiday Sparkle” scratch ticket. That decision ended up being in her favor as she claimed the fourth of 10 top prizes of $10,000 available in the game.
“When I scratched it off in the car I couldn’t believe it when I saw it said $10,000,” Beenken told lottery employees Friday as she claimed her prize at the lottery’s regional office in Mason City.
The 52-year-old said she took her winning ticket home right away to show her husband, Rodney, who was harvesting corn at the time.
“I took it out and showed him,” she said. “He thought I wasn’t serious. I said, ‘You wouldn’t believe it, I won money in the lottery.’ He said, ‘Yeah right.'”
Beenken said she plans to save a majority of her winnings.
Holiday Sparkle is a $2 scratch game.
