Posted by The Chronicle Telegram, OH on June 05, 2008 at 12:49:20:
Elyria mom cooks up some luck
Christina Jolliffe | The Chronicle-Telegram
Meg Spanos stumbles into pair of contests, wins them both
ELYRIA — If she didn’t have good luck, Meg Spanos wouldn’t have any kind of luck at all.
Not only did the Elyria resident win a spot for her son to be a bat boy at Wednesday’s Indians game, but two hours after winning that prize, she found out she was a finalist in a competition to go to New York and meet Rachael Ray.
An occasional contest enterer, Spanos was surprised to get the phone call May 22 from WTAM radio saying she won the bat boy prize. She was shocked when she got the call two hours later that she was a finalist for the Rachael Ray prize on WKYC’s “Good Company.”
“I haven’t won things in the past,” Spanos said of her unusual run of good luck.
While she didn’t play the lottery after her winning streak last week, she did purchase a $2 scratch-off ticket. And it will come as no surprise to learn, she won. It was $50, but still …
What’s her secret?
Well, she’s not overly superstitious — there’s no rabbit’s foot on her keychain or four-leaf clover in her lapel.
“I just believe let go and let God,” she said. “What’s meant to be is meant to be.”
Still, she’s pretty excited with the hand she’s been dealt, almost accidentally.
A few weeks ago, she was searching the WTAM Web site, looking up a story, when she came across the “Find Slider” contest. She called her mom, Barbara Radke, of Elyria, and asked her to pitch in and enter the contest each day. Eventually, it paid off, with Spanos’ son, 10-year-old Andrew Dropco, a Prospect Elementary School fifth-grader, reaping the rewards.
Not only was Andrew a bat boy at the game, but the family received four tickets to the game and Andrew received an authentic Indians jersey, pants, hat, belt and baseball. He spent an hour on the field prior to the game watching batting practice and got just about every player’s autograph.
He also was interviewed before the game and his mug was splashed across the big screen.
All the family members are huge Indians fans, with Spanos having a longtime fondness for retired pitcher Charles Nagy, but Spanos’ husband, Andrew, was the one who accompanied their son on the field.
Still, Spanos didn’t think of herself as losing out. In fact, she still has the grand prize in front of her.
Spanos discovered the Rachael Ray contest, again accidentally, while looking up the weather on WKYC’s Web site.
She came across a blurb that “Good Company” was looking for unique recipes and the winner of the recipe contest would go to New York and meet Rachael Ray.
The stay-at-home mom decided to enter an updated version of the family cabbage and noodle recipe passed down from her grandmother to her mother to her.
“It’s quick, easy and done,” Spanos said.
She will appear at 9 a.m. this morning on “Good Company,” where she will make her cabbage and noodles.
While Spanos cooks just about every night for her family, which also includes the couple’s 9-month-old daughter, Anna, she still was busy practicing for her television appearance Wednesday night.
“I kept telling my mom that I was hoping for some good luck streak,” Spanos said. “Winter just kinds of wears down, but what a way to welcome spring.”
Spanos recently entered the Visa “Trip of a Lifetime” contest, where entrants can choose from seven vacation spots. She chose Disney World but won’t know whether she won until July 4.
It’s a pretty good bet that with her luck, she should start packing now.
Contact Christina Jolliffe at 329-7156 or cjolliffe@chroniclet.com.