Fantasy Fishing contest pays off for St. Charles woman
What does a 75-year-old woman from St. Charles do with a $15,000 first-place prize she captured last month in the 2010 FLW Fantasy Fishing contest?
Because the contest is named for Forrest L. Wood, the founder of Ranger Boats, does she plan on a new boat and a fishing trip?
“That sounds wonderful, but no not really,” Mary Zedonis said. “I shared the money with my kids and bought them GPS systems.”
The fantasy fishing game is similar to other sports fantasy leagues in that you choose pro fishermen to win certain tournaments and gain points based on their placings.
“I was totally shocked when I won this, because I just did it because it was a freebie and it was a fun thing to do with my family,” Zedonis explained.
It was plenty of fun for the Zedonis family a few years ago when her son, David, who lives in Indianapolis, took first place and a $100,000 prize.
“But that was when the economy was much better,” Zedonis said of her son’s big payday.
The following year, another son, Jeff Zedonis of Geneva, came very close to the top, but Paul Zedonis, a son who is a fishery biologist in California and recently became a pro bass fisherman, has yet to come close.
“And Paul was the one who got us all into this in the first place,” Zedonis says. “The first year I played, four years ago, I won a small roll of fishing line, so this year was a total shock.
“People from all over the world play fantasy fishing, and I can’t believe how many magazines and radio interviews I’ve had,” Zedonis said. “You’d think that $15,000 was actually $15 million.”
Fuel for trivia?Is it possible that taking in the St. Patrick#146;s Day Parade in St. Charles on Saturday afternoon and doing a little celebrating on the side will be a good formula for success at a trivia contest later that night?
We#146;ll find out. We have the parade and the Trivia Night fundraiser for TriCity Family Services at the Batavia Moose Lodge locked into our calendar.
Never looked in backI was glad to hear Melvin Peterson enjoyed his 90th birthday party on Feb. 27 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Charles.
I missed the fun because when I went to the church to visit with Peterson, known as the city#146;s #147;walking history book,#148; the front parking lot was empty. I thought maybe Melvin was under the weather, and the party was canceled. I later found out that entry into the open-house party was behind the church #8212; the one place I didn#146;t bother to look.
Because of his recent hip surgery, the party was set up so Melvin would not have to go up or down stairs. The back entry was the best way to avoid that.
As part of the festivities, the church gave Melvin a plaque for being the oldest #147;active#148; member of the church. He tells me there are older members of the church, but they aren#146;t able to remain active in church events and various projects.
dheun@sbcglobal.net