Molly and Bob Tuggle win Strassenfest Half Pot
Molly and Bob Tuggle said they would likely use the $77,382.50 in half-pot winnings on their grandchildren’s future.
Which seems appropriate since the Troy couple happened to purchase their winning ticket when they took the grandkids, Calvin, Nora and Zeke, to the Strassenfest balloon race Friday evening.
“We couldn’t decide who to credit for it, because he (Bob) bought the ticket, and it was my idea to go to the balloon festival,” Molly said.
“We’re going to give credit to the kids because we wouldn’t have gone to that had it not been for them,” she added.
They nearly didn’t purchase any tickets. When the race didn’t happen because of the nearby storms, Molly almost decided to go home because the “kids were getting restless and I halfway wanted to leave because it was so hot.”
But Bob convinced her to stick it out, and the grandkids had a great time with the free frisbees and getting up close to the balloons when they were inflated and lit up by the burners. In sticking it out, he also took the time to purchase the tickets, which were promptly forgotten.
“He came up and handed me the ticket; I was wrangling a two-year-old, so I stuffed it down in this bag I was carrying,” she said.
“And we didn’t see that bag for two weeks,” Bob added.
The bag was full of swimming clothes, towels and gear, and it had returned to their daughter’s home with the grandkids. When the numbers were announced, Molly called her daughter to ask if the ticket was still in the bag.
Fortunately, it had stayed dry, and when Molly checked the numbers, she could hardly believe it. “I was sitting on the porch with my phone, and I went back and forth, checking it. I didn’t believe it,” Molly said. “He was laying in bed watching the ball game and I said, ‘look at this, I think we won that half pot.'”
“Well, that’s a winner,” Bob told her calmly after checking.
The semi-retired couple—Molly works part-time as a nurse in Perry County—make it a habit to purchase half-pot tickets for various causes and benefits. “We were talking with a friend who said they wouldn’t buy half-pot tickets because it’s gambling, but we tell him it’s for a good cause. It’s not like we are going to the casino,” she laughed, adding that they plan on rubbing it in that they won.
The remaining half-pot proceeds will benefit local VUJ students through the Vincennes University Jasper Scholarship Fund. Scholarship recipients receive one year of full tuition, a $500 book stipend, and a laptop.
The proceeds also help provide a solid financial base for the continuation and growth of Strassenfest and the Jasper community.
