Peggy Walker won big on HGTV's "Smart Home 2013 Giveaway Special." (HGTV)
Talk about hitting the jackpot.
On Tuesday night, Peggy Walker got one heck of a surprise. A friend had invited Peggy and her husband, Paul, out for dinner at Fabulous Fern's in St. Paul. Soon after arriving at the restaurant, Walker, of River Falls, Wis., found herself surrounded by family and friends who were blowing kazoos and throwing confetti.
Out of more than 40 million entries in an HGTV contest, Walker discovered at Fern's she was the winner of a new home and car.
"I never thought I'd win, especially when they talk about the amount of entries," Walker said on Wednesday. "But it was fun to dream about it and think of the possibilities."
Walker won the first HGTV Smart Home Giveaway. Her winnings are valued at $900,000 and include a fully furnished home in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., a 2013 GMC Terrain Denali and $100,000. Walker -- a retired special-education teacher from the South Washington County School District -- had entered various HGTV Home Giveaways for years. This time she got lucky.
"I entered every day I could, for every house they had," said Walker, who, along with her husband, lives on a dairy farm that's been in her husband's family since 1895. "My family makes fun of me. They say I'm a little obsessive about it, but they think it's fine now."
The new custom-built, eco-friendly home located in the beach community of Paradise Key South Beach is 2,400 square feet and includes 1,000 square feet of covered porches, decks and a pool.
It also has the newest home technology, including the ability to monitor energy use, the latest in kitchen amenities, three hi-def TVs in the living room and an outdoor kitchen and dining area. You can take a virtual tour of the home at hgtv.com/smarthome.So will she and her husband be leaving the farm behind for a sunny life in Florida? Not likely.
"And just forget the cows?" said Walker, 62. "No, I don't really think that would be in the plans to ditch a multi-generational farm."
Another reason retiring permanently to Florida is not in the plans is because Walker has three young grandsons nearby. Right now, the Walkers have no idea what their plans are with the house, they're just enjoying their win.
"We're savoring every single second," she said. "What a wonderful win and what a wonderful opportunity. You just can't believe your number came up."
In a couple of weeks, the couple will go see their new house for the first time and film footage for the "HGTV Smart Home 2013 Giveaway Special" airing at 6 p.m. Aug. 16 on HGTV.
"I'm excited to see the pool, the deck, the kitchen -- and it's totally decorated," Walker said. "Wouldn't that be a dream, for somebody to do your whole house and you just walk from room to room and it's totally done?"
Looks like that dream has become a reality.
Amy Carlson Gustafson can be reached at 651-228-5561. Follow her at twitter.com/amygustafson.
Source: http://www.twincities.com/entertainment/ci_23592006/river-falls-woman-wins-home-vehicle-hgtv-contest
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