LANSING, June 13, 2002 – Two lucky ladies from the Upper Peninsula recently struck it rich with the Michigan Lottery! Marie Lempea of Mohawk and Lisa Cuffe of Tamarack recently scratched their way to instant wealth while playing Michigan Lottery instant games!

Marie Lempea of Mohawk claimed a $50,000 top prize in the "Trucks and Bucks" instant game. The winning ticket was purchased at Harters Party Store, 511 Pine St., in Calumet.

"I took the ticket home and scratched it off, and immediately I knew I had a winner. I took it back to the store right away and asked them if what I was seeing was real," Lempea said. "When the clerk verified I had won $50,000, I was absolutely shocked! I still cannot believe it!"

The lucky lady, a retired State of Michigan employee, said she plans to use her winnings to pay bills and purchase a new car. She encouraged other Lottery hopefuls to keep playing Lottery games, saying "you can’t win without a ticket!"

Just down the road, in Tamarack, Lisa Cuffe recently experienced a little Lottery luck of her own! Cuffe purchased a winning "Fortune Hunter" instant ticket worth $10,000.

The winning ticket was purchased at Louies Super Value Foods, 53115 State Highway M-26, in Lake Linden.

"I was very excited when I scratched the ticket and realized I had won," Cuffe said. "It is great to be one of the lucky ones in the Upper Peninsula to win such a large prize!"

Cuffe, an office manager for a doctor’s office, said she plans to use her winnings to pay bills. There is no doubt she and her husband will enjoy their winnings!

"Trucks and Bucks" and "Fortune Hunter" are just two of many Michigan Lottery instant tickets available at more than 9,000 Michigan Lottery retailers statewide.

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