There were too many adventures for one blog post. This is Part 2 of my winning adventures in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Annual National Sweepstakes Convention. (Read Part 1.)

Day 5 — Saturday, July 11th

Today was the big luncheon banquet, and it didn’t start until 11:00 AM, so we got to relax in the morning. If you follow me on social media, you would know that I kept up posting videos sharing all the big winners attending the convention. Amazing to talk to Laura and Mike, who both won cars in the FIFA Enterprise contest.

At 9:00 AM, all the SweepSheeters gathered for the annual member photo, followed at 9:30 AM with all the iWinners meeting for an identical photo. I changed shirts, but as I was holding Roscoe in the second picture, it turns out I didn’t have to.

    

Then I went back to the room to change for the banquet. We had a delicious BBQ lunch with beverages and dessert. Afterward, I presented the Amy Sass Memorial Fund prize. Amy was a special sweeper whom I had known for over 15 years, and I missed her dearly this year.

Laura won the Memorial Prize donated by her family, and Issac won the gift bag I would have brought Amy had she still been with us. (Amy and I in 2025.)

Velma Green then read out the winning entries from her pre-convention essay contest about your best win. Wendy won first prize for her story of winning backstage VIP passes to the Ringly Bros. Circus. 

Then it was time for more prizes, and I won $100 cash! WOO HOO!

As Wendy and I weren’t attending the After Party portion of the convention, we went shopping. I had been gifted a $100 Free People gift card, and as it was in U.S. dollars, I wanted to use it in Arizona. We went to an area with an open-air mall, condos above the stores, and misters on each block to keep everyone cool, as it was 44°C. It was nice to see a part of the city we hadn’t been to before.

We made it back in time for me to meet the Pick-A-Prize winners and Christi for dinner in the hotel. It was delicious. 

I was still getting up early, and Wendy and I lounged in the room and chatted before turning in.

Day 6 — Sunday, July 12th

The last day of the convention is always bittersweet. You don’t want the event to end, but after almost a week of early mornings and running around, you also want to rest. 

We had a final speaker was Leah Pavelko, who shared her take on The Free Life, of course, featuring sweepstakes. Her favorite way to enter was on Instagram. Like other speakers, she reminded everyone to always read the rules, find those with better odds, and look human, not a bot. You can even follow her @VitaGratuita and learn from her there.

Then Mark Roland, the lead volunteer for next year’s 38th Annual National Sweepstakes Convention in Orlando, Florida, answered questions from the audience. It promises to be another exciting event! Go to PirateParty27.com for all the details.

Be aware, no club has volunteered to host the 39th convention in 2028, so next year very well may be the last one.

Then we did the prize counts. How many people won $1,000 or more? Please stand up. If you won more than $5,000, please keep standing. If you won more than $25,000, please keep standing. Etc. They did the same with the number of trips and cars. It’s amazing to be in a room full of winners, and big winners at that.

Then one final round of prizes. I won a portable speaker that lights up and has two microphones. Very glad I had the room in my suitcases to bring everything home easily, as I brought so many prize donations.

The convention officially wrapped up just before noon. Wendy and I freshened up and then headed to the Talking Stick casino for a risky afternoon. I’m a cautious gambler and broke even.

All that was left to do was go back to the hotel to pack, which was an event in itself. Hungry late at night, we went to White Castle for sliders. 

Day 7 — Monday, July 13th

Wendy discovered there was a Buc-ee’s 30 minutes outside of Phoenix. She had never been and wanted to see the craziness for herself. We decided to leave extra early to shop at Buc-ee’s, get gas, and go to the airport.

After driving through heavy morning traffic, we arrived at the mecca of gas stations. As I had been there many times, there were only a few things I wanted. T-shirts to take home and a brisket sandwich for my lunch. I also got Lane some candy. Wendy already had trouble shutting her suitcases between winning and shopping, so after she bought all her souvenirs, we stopped at Walmart so she could buy a carry-on suitcase. 

We made good time to the airport. Wendy dropped me off at my terminal as I was flying internationally. She returned the car, and we both made it home safe and sound.

Will I see you in Orlando, Florida?