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hometown pride
This man won his town's special anniversary celebration competition - because nobody else bothered to enter
NOT The Onion.
A MAN IN the US state of Michigan has won prizes worth nearly $2,000 (€1,830) after being the only person to enter a contest to celebrate his city’s 150th anniversary.
Taylor Langstaff had to do 25 activities in and around Bay City, 115 miles northwest of Detroit, and stamp them on a “passport” to win the prizes, local news website MLive.com reported.
Despite being sent to everyone in the city, which has a population of around 34,000, beginning last May, Langstaff was the only person to submit a fully-stamped passport.
The activities included seeing a play at The State Theatre, having a beer at Tri-City Brewing Company and going on a holiday tour of homes in Bay City’s Historic District.
Langstaff’s prizes include restaurant gift certificates, a yearlong membership to the Bay Area Family YMCA, Bay City-branded T-shirts and a four-person pass to sail aboard the Appledore IV tall ship.
Because Langstaff was the only entrant, he also received the second to 10th place winner prizes. He’s a native of the city and volunteers at the Bay County Historical Museum.
“I love Bay City so much that this was pretty easy,” Langstaff said.
I met a lot of people, was able to go to a lot of neat events, take in some great shows — this contest really showed what this city has to offer.
The passport and contest guidelines were sent to residents in utility bills beginning in late May.
Deputy City Manager Dana Muscott said this was to give residents time to complete activities in the summer, but said the long waiting period may have caused some people to forget to enter.
If anything, people still got a great book showcasing everything you can do in Bay City.
Contains reporting by the Associated Press.
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