By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Quilting or cars. Great Bend's Donna McCormick did not like her odds against 80 other contestants in the big finale of Eagle Media's Reef Blue Summer, brought to you by Ehler Chevrolet, INA Alert, Equity Bank, and Kelly's Garden Sense. So she sent her husband of 50 years, Denny, as a proxy. When the No. 60 ball emerged as the final elimination Friday night at Ehler Chevrolet in Hoisington, Denny walked away with the keys to a 2025 Reef Blue Chevy Equinox.
"I'm actually at a quilting retreat, and that's why I sent my husband to stand in my place," Donna said via telephone just a few minutes after learning she was the big winner. "I was shocked when I was drawn to be a finalist."
Numbers are assigned in order, and McCormick was the 54th finalist after registering at Boone's Maytag in Great Bend. It was her only registration of the summer. Friday's giveaway came down to Macksville's Debbie Sulter, who registered at Eldridge Fencing, and the McCormicks. Right after the win, Denny called his wife to tell her the news.
"I figured it was Denny calling me to tell me, 'Sorry, honey, but you didn't win,'" Donna said.
This year's contest began on April 14 with several instant finalist days and prize boxes spread across the contest's many sponsors. Eighty-one contestants were selected for Friday's giveaway, including the 81st finalist on an Instant Finalist Day just hours before the drawing.
The final 10 contestants this year were:
No. 54: Donna McCormick, registered at Boone's Maytag
No. 60: Debbie Sulter, registered at Eldridge Fencing
No. 20: Alexis Dickens, registered at Queen Bee Nutrition
No. 80: Samantha Naab, registered at INA Alert
No. 52: Gina Krom, registered at The Center for Counseling
No. 55: Jonathan Strandberg, registered at Nex-Tech Wireless
No. 48: Marcella Jurgensen, registered at Nextech Local
No. 51: Debbie Tammen, registered at Great Bend Appliance Center
No. 4: Steve Kummer, registered at Equity Bank
No. 33: Tony Jones, registered at GB Appliance
