By ERIC AYRES/St. Clairsville Bureau Chief


MELVIN SWARTZ'S name must have been very high on Santa's "nice" list this year.

Among more than 50,000 contestants across the country vying for a chance at a new Chevy Cobalt, the Bellaire native was undoubtedly the luckiest. Swartz visited The Times Leader Friday to pick up the keys to the first Cobalt manufactured for retail sale at the GM Assembly Plant in Lordstown, Ohio.
Through its Warren, Ohio-based newspaper The Tribune Chronicle, Odgen Newspapers Inc. opened the new car giveaway to readers in 33 of its markets across the country. The drawing was held Dec. 2 in Warren, and it just so happened that the winning entry had been submitted at Whiteside Chevrolet Buick Pontiac Cadillac in St. Clairsville - by Swartz.

"I'm just still in a daze about it," said Swartz.

When Swartz was informed about his good fortune this week, it took some convincing by The Times Leader Publisher Alex Marshall to make Swartz understand he had won.

"We played phone tag a little bit, and when I spoke to him, he asked if I was sitting down," said Swartz, father of four and occupational work experience group teacher at Bellaire High School. "I didn't believe it at first. After he told me, I wanted to scream and holler and go crazy."

The secret was kept within the circle of Swartz's immediate family until Friday, when the sharp new Cobalt was presented to the lucky winner.

"We couldn't be more excited about the fact that someone from right here in Belmont County will be driving home this new car," said Marshall. "The Times Leader has the distinct pleasure of presenting this early Christmas gift to Mr. Swartz."

Both teachers, Swartz and his wife Judy - who presides over classes at Bridgeport High School, are the proud parents of four children. Two daughters are now married. Mandi Hanson and her husband Jason reside in Martins Ferry and Kate Zink and her husband Patrick live in Florida. The Swartz's two teens are currently enrolled at St. John Central. Ellie, 17, is a senior in high school, while Marty, 14, attends grade school there.

Swartz said he was in the process of shopping for a new car this fall. When he stopped by Whiteside's, he decided to fill out an entry form.

"You do it just for the fun of it," he said of submitting an entry in the contest. "Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I was actually going to win. I really didn't believe I had a snowball's chance in the desert."

To the contrary, Judy Swartz said Friday that her husband was actually convinced that he was going to win the car, especially after an article appeared two weeks ago announcing that the winner was from the Belmont County area.

"His whole life, he's wanted to win a car," she said. "It's very exciting. This will be the ninth Chevrolet we've owned since we've been married."

While shopping for a new car, Swartz got a chance to look at some of the new Cobalts at the local car dealerships.

The first 2005 Chevy Cobalts began rolling off the assembly line in Lordstown in October. Chevrolet has discontinued production of its popular Cavalier model cars. After this current model year, the Cavalier class is being replaced by the Cobalt and the Aveo.

In 1965, The Tribune Chronicle purchased the first vehicle ever made at the GM plant in Lordstown. The original giveaway nearly 40 years ago gave the newspaper an inside track on buying the first Cobalt built for retail sale this year.

Swartz's new Cobalt is loaded with options, including leather seats, XM Radio, a CD changer, sun roof, chrome wheels and other new features.

"This is something else," Swartz said Friday as he sat down and slid the key into the ignition of his new car.

While the new Aveo models are described as versatile economy cars with several different features, the Cobalts offer a new option for a more sporty or "up-scale" class of affordable Chevy sedans and coups.

The new Cobalt models - which also include an SS Supercharged coup - are geared toward customers who prefer a smaller car, but also want comfort and more luxury features such as heated leather seats, titanium-faced gauges, optional sport packages and sound systems with OnStar, XM Satellite Radio and MP3 player options.

GM's Lordstown plant is vital to the economy in the area served by The Tribune Chronicle in Warren, where officials at the newspaper decided to offer the car giveaway in all sister markets served by the Ogden newspapers.

"It's a pleasure to be able to give this car to a nice family like the Swartzes," said Charles Jarvis, publisher of The Tribune Chronicle, who delivered the car's title Friday. "We're also proud that it's staying in Ohio. We hope they enjoy it, and we hope the Cobalt is a popular selling car. It means so much to the Mahoning Valley that this new line of cars is a great success."

Swartz was among more than 50,000 contestants who submitted entry forms at their local dealerships. Aside from the Belmont County and Warren areas, other communities that participated in the new car giveaway included Cape Coral, Fla.; Webster City, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown and Tama, Iowa; Alpena and Marquette, Mich.; Fairmont, Marshall and New Ulm, Minn.; Minot, N.D.; Jamestown, Dunkirk, Saranac Lake and Gloversville, N.Y.; Tiffin, Steubenville, Boardman, East Liverpool, Salem, Lisbon and Marietta, Ohio; Williamsport, Warren, Lock Haven, Lewistown and Altoona, Pa.; and Parkersburg, Elkins, Martinsburg and Wheeling, W.Va.

All of the entry forms received in October and November were stuffed into the trunk of the white Cobalt. Swartz's form was pulled from the very trunk of the car he now owns.

When it was delivered on Friday, the vehicle was spotless, except for a couple of stray losing entry forms still stuck in crevasses of the trunk.

http://www.timesleaderonline.com/new...new1cobalt.asp

 

Well he beat us all to it haha. Now if only i could of slipped an entry form in that trunk...

 

LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY!!!!!!!!


yes im bitter