CAPE WOMAN'S PRIZE MAKES HER GUEST OF CARDINALS

When the St. Louis Cardinals face off against the San Francisco Giants Sunday afternoon, Cape Girardeau resident June Hindman, her husband and 18 other relatives will be cheering them on.

In fact, Hindman is a guest of honor at Sunday's game, as the grand prize winner of the Listerine Venture Dream Day Sweepstakes, sponsored by the Listerine Co. and Venture stores.

"I'm just thrilled beyond words," said Hindman. "This couldn't make me happier."

Sunday's game will be the first professional baseball game 62-year-old Hindman has ever attended.

"I love baseball I watch it on television all the time," Hindman said. "I've just never been able to go to a game before."

The Listerine Co., has insured that Hindman's first game will be memorable.

She and her guests are scheduled to arrive at Busch Stadium in St. Louis by noon Sunday. The group will be taken to the Diamond Room a private box-seat area of the ballpark where lunch will be awaiting them.

"They're also going to leave 20 authentic Cardinals' baseball caps in the room for us to take home," Hindman said.

After lunch, Hindman will be able to select four of her guests to accompany her to the field, where she will be afforded the opportunity to meet and have her picture taken with some of the Cardinals players.

"I want to meet that pitcher Bob Tewksbury," she said. "I like him.

"I also want to meet their player who's from Cuba," Hindman continued. "They tell me that he doesn't speak any English well neither do I. I'm from Texas; nobody can understand anything I say even though I've been living here for 25 years."

Some time during the game, the Cardinals will flash a "special message" on the scoreboard above left field in honor of Hindman and her guests.

"It sounds like we're going to have a wonderful day," said Hindman.

"I just wish I had more tickets," she said. "I have so many other friends who would love to go with us, but I simply don't have that many tickets."

Hindman was told by a Listerine representative that the total value of the day's events is estimated at over $2,000. She was also promised some Listerine products sent to her home by the company.

"I really do use Listerine," she said. "I have a big bottle of it in the house right now."

She entered the contest by mailing in a sweepstakes form that appeared in an advertisement for Listerine in the newspaper. Her entry was selected from thousands sent in to the regional sweepstakes contest.

"I had entered to try and win one of the lesser prizes a Cardinals baseball jacket for my husband," Hindman said. "I was so shocked when they called me and told me that I had won the grand prize. I said `What?'"

Hindman said her husband was not disappointed that he did not receive a jacket.

"He got a pencil and paper out right away and started writing down names of people he wanted to invite to come with us," she said. "I said, `Wait a minute, this is my prize.'

"Now he said he's going to tell everyone about what a wonderful wife he's got," Hindman said.

Even though she was notified more than a week ago by phone, Hindman kept the news of the prize under her hat until Tuesday when she received the tickets and specific information about the prize in the mail.

"You know, things could happen or it could have been a mistake," she said. "It wasn't a mistake; right now, I'm walking on air."