Secondary Hotel Information

In case you missed the previous post, the primary hotel for the Sweepstakes Convention, the Hilton Fort Wayne at the Grand Wayne Convention Center, has been sold out. Arrangements have been made with a hotel across the street, the Courtyard By Marriott, for additional rooms. Reservations at this second hotel must be made by May 25, 2011 to get the special rate for the Sweepstakes Convention. Please see the Hotel Information page for more details and the special Sweepstakes Convention link to the Courtyard By Marriott website for reservations and additional information.

Important Security Information

For Homeland Security reasons, the Sweepstakes Convention must know the names of any individuals sharing a room at either hotel. If you are husband and wife, we can pick up your names from your registration forms, but if you are friends sharing a room, we need you to please contact Deborah with all of the friends' names that will be staying in the room with you. Many attendees reserved a room in one name only, but said that 2 or more people would be in the room, we need to know the names of the others who will be staying in the room. Please use the contact form to give Deborah this information.

2 Good 2 Be True Winners

The winners for March, 2011 are Kristine Heimburger and Sharon DeGroat. You can find the full list of winners on the 2 Good 2 Be True Contest page. April, 2011 winners will be announced soon.

National Anthem Contest

The winner of the Fort Wayne TinCaps National Anthem Contest will be announced soon on the Sweepstakes Convention website. Thank you all for sharing your vocal talents with us!

Convention Registration Numbers

The convention continues to grow in numbers and the final numbers will be revealed at the convention along with the final state by state breakdown.

Prize Donors

We are still looking for additional prize donors. If you plan on bringing donations with you to the Sweepstakes Convention on your behalf or that of your club, please let us know for proper acknowledgement in our program and website. The Prize Donors page on this website has been updated with many recent additions.

Convention Registration Deadline Reminder

The final day to get your registrations in for the Sweepstakes Convention is May 15, 2011. Please get your registration in as soon as possible, we need to print raffle tickets and labels off for you. Remember, no refunds after April 15, 2011.

Winning Opportunities at the Convention Reminders

Be sure to bring your costume for the Dress For Success: Your Favorite Win Contest, your bowling ball and shoes to go Bowling for Dollars while at Crazy Pinz in Fort Wayne and your essay on why your "Father is Best" for the "Best Father In The World" Essay Contest. Further details about these additional contests that will be held at the Sweepstakes Convention can be found on the Winning Opportunities at the Convention page.

Casino Trip Reminder

If you want to join the gambling fun and possibly win a casino "prize closet prize," we must have the $20 payment and your reservation in by May 15th for the optional Casino Night trip. Buses must be ordered in advance. We currently have 2 buses going to the Hoosier Park Casino & Racetrack. No last minute additions will be allowed at the Sweepstakes Convention. Checks need to be made payable to: "22nd National Sweepstakes Convention" and sent to: Deborah Dambra, 4028 Indian Hills Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46809-1124.

You may want to bring a roll of quarters along to play Bus Bingo on your trip to the casino!

Vendors' Room Tables

We still have a few spots available, the cost is $20 per table. The list of currently registered vendors can be found on the Vendor Information page.

Special Notice

Are you celebrating a birthday or anniversary while at the convention? Let us know for public acknowledgement during the Sweepstakes Convention.

Rooms at the primary convention site, the Hilton Fort Wayne at the Grand Wayne Convention Center, are sold out. Arrangements have been made for a limited number of rooms at a second hotel, the Courtyard By Marriott, which is located across the street from the Grand Wayne Convention Center.

Reservations at the Courtyard By Marriott must be made by May 25, 2011 to get the special rate ($105 per night) for the Sweepstakes Convention. To make reservations or for more information, please follow this link: http://cwp.marriott.com/fwadt/nationalsweepstakes/.

Both hotels will be sold out, so reservations should be made as soon as possible.

Each hotel will give Convention attendees, who are registered at their respective hotels, discounts for parking in their own individual attached parking garages.

An online submission form is now available to accept entries for the Fort Wayne TinCaps National Anthem Contest. The cutoff date for submissions had been extended to March 15, 2011, but since so many people have been waiting for a method to submit their entries online and I haven't made it available until now, we'll extend the expiration date a bit longer to ensure everyone gets a chance to submit their entry. But please don't hesitate, get those entries in asap.

Contest is closed. The winner will be announced soon.

Introducing the Official Logo of the 22nd National Sweepstakes Convention

We are very pleased to announce that the winning entry in the "Logo 22" Where Are You? contest was submitted by Claudia O'Leary of Florida.  Her logo, seen on the left, is the official logo of the 22nd National Sweepstakes Convention and will be featured on the website, convention buttons and other materials associated with the convention.

The two runner-up prize winners are Amy Phillips, also of Florida, and Gregory Johnson of Wisconsin.

We had over 20 entries and all of the artwork submitted was first class, winning artwork.  It was a tough decision for the committee to make.

Thank you to all who submitted entries in this contest and congratulations to the winners!

* All artwork submitted for the contest will be available for pick-up at the 22nd National Sweepstakes Convention.

Convention Schedule, Vendors List and Prize Donors

A preliminary Convention Schedule has be posted. A link to the schedule has been added to the Convention Information menu on the left side of the website.

36 of the 40 Vendors tables that are available have been reserved. A list of Registered Vendors has been added to the Vendor Information page which can also be found under the Convention Information menu.

Each month we continue to add new Prize Donors. Be sure to check them out and please support those who so generously support the National Sweepstakes Convention, quite a number of them do so year after year..

2 Good 2 Be True Drawing - December Winners

The December, 2010 2 Good 2 Be True winners are: Veronica Jarvis and Judi Truppa.  They will receive two (2) prizes each at the check-in table at the convention.

"Everyone's a Winner" and you can be, too! All registered attendees' entries will carry forward for each monthly drawing. The last monthly 2 Good 2 Be True drawing will be on May 31, 2011.

"Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti... (Doh!)"

Great News! The deadline for entering the contest for an opportunity to sing the National Anthem at the Fort Wayne TinCups game on Thursday, June 16, 2011 has been extended to March 15, 2011. We know there's some singers out there amongst you, so clear those pipes and make either a video (preferred) or audio recording of yourself singing the National Anthem. In the next couple of days, we will have an easy way for you to submit your entry through the website.

More Updates Are On the Way

Tomorrow we'll be posting details about the Sweepstakes Convention Raffles and at least four (4) additional "Winning Opportunities" that will be available at the convention.

Did You Know?

Ronald Reagan, accomplished actor, former governor of California as well as the 40th President of the United States, originally went to Hollywood, California in 1937 after winning an all-expense paid trip in a contest. He took a screen test while on the trip and the rest, as they say, is history.

Updated Registration Totals

As of December 31, 2010, a total of 325 registrations have been received for the 22nd National Sweepstakes Convention. Illinois continues to lead the way with 48, followed by Indiana with 40, Michigan and Florida each with 36, and Ohio with 27. State-by-state totals follow: