Polly Lehtonen of Lewes wins big in Home Makeover Sweepstakes
Cape Gazette announced an exciting inaugural contest, sponsored by Randall-Douglas, in its Fall 2020 Home & Garden Guide – a Home Makeover Sweepstakes, in which a lucky winner could receive $25,000 to transform their kitchen or bathroom. QR codes were hidden throughout the pages, and over the last several months since its publication, more chances were given for readers to enter.
The contest received more than 1,600 entries, and Polly Lehtonen of Lewes was selected at random as the big winner. A surprise presentation for Polly and her husband Alfred took place Feb. 24, when Randall-Douglas owners Randy Burton and Doug Catts showed up at their home in Villages of Red Mill Pond with a giant check, a fleet of Randall-Douglas vehicles, and an entourage of uniformed Randall-Douglas contractors to announce the big news.
Polly and Al hail from Columbia, Md. When they built their home near Red Mill Pond 12 years ago, they couldn’t have dreamed that something like this would happen. “We never win anything,” said Polly. She came upon the contest while reading the Cape Gazette; they are longtime subscribers.
“We’ve been talking about replacing our countertops for a while,” Polly said. “I was flipping through the Home & Garden insert and came upon the ad. I liked the countertops featured in the photo, and that’s what got my attention. Then I realized it was a contest. We are so excited to work with the Randall-Douglas team to see what they come up with for our kitchen; we’re really looking forward to getting some design advice. When the house was originally built, the kitchen was in a dark area, and the granite is kind of dark, and the cabinets are dark, so we really want to lighten up the space.”
It’s also important to Polly and Al that whatever gets replaced, it should be reused. “We’ve already found a friend in Maryland that will take our granite countertops; he’s going to break up whatever he doesn’t need and use it in a feature wall,” she said. “And friends have already claimed some of the cabinets to use in their garages.”
To watch a video of the exciting prize presentation to Polly and Al at their home, go to facebook.com/capegazette and search “home makeover sweepstakes.” Stay tuned for the full story in the Cape Gazette’s 2021 Fall Home & Garden publication coming in September, when the before-and-after photos from the renovation will be revealed. Read more Home & Garden stories in Cape Gazette’s Spring H&G booklet at tinyurl.com/hu9jzek3.
