“I couldn’t believe it. I was hugging everybody, and I don’t hug people, especially the Chevrolet guy,” she said. “I still can’t believe it.”

On Tuesday, she picked up her prize at Edwards Automotive — a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox ACTIV.

The timing couldn’t have been better because on Dec. 2, a deer “committed suicide” on her Nissan Rogue Sport. The accident, which totaled her vehicle, happened between Sagola and Iron Mountain as she was traveling back from a grandson’s sporting event. Wanhala said the collision was so loud, people in a house nearby came out to see what happened. Her vehicle only had 33,000 miles on it.

“I’d had it since 2019, so you can see how much I drive,” she said.

Linda Wanhala of Iron Mountain sits in the new 2026 Chevrolet Equinox ACTIV she won as part of the Chevy Packers Fan Experience Sweepstakes. She picked it up Tuesday at Edwards Automotive in Iron Mountain. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News)

Less than 24 hours later, she was notified she was one of nine finalists in the contest.

As a finalist, Wanhala was also given a two-nights stay in a Green Bay hotel, a tour of the Lambeau Field stadium, tickets to the game, dinner with a former Packers player, a jersey and a $150 gift card.

Her daughter, Kristin Stanchina, attended the game with her and was FaceTiming her other daughter and grandsons when she won. She said a lot of people from town mentioned they saw her on television.

Wanhala almost didn’t go to the game because she had a plane ticket to visit her grandson in Utah and had to change her ticket. She was thinking she didn’t have much of chance to win. Her family convinced her she had to be back for the game.

She could select any vehicle up to $52,000 at any dealership. “I choose this dealership because it was right here in Iron Mountain,” Wanhala said.

Linda Wanhala's former vehicle, a Nissan Rogue Sport, was a total loss after a deer ran in front of her vehicle and "committed suicide" Dec. 2. (Submitted photo)

She looked at many vehicles and her son-in-law and a grandson assisted her with research. Sales people at Edwards Automotive, Chad Sodini and Tiffany Kaminski, helped her find the perfect vehicle. Because they don’t have a large selection to choose from, they had to get the vehicle from another dealership.

“Linda did it right, She checked out quite a few different models and narrowed it down to the Equinox, and Chad and Tiffany found the one that she wanted,” said Josh Edwards, a sales manager at Edwards. “There was a couple before that weren’t quite the one.”

Wanhala joked that it didn’t matter what it was as long as it runs, adding that she wouldn’t have had all the added features if she was purchasing it herself.

“Liked the design. I liked that it will have heated seats, all-wheel drive, Sirius radio. It even has features I never heard of, like a washer for the backup camera,” Wanhala said. She also liked that the seats fit her because she is short, plus a sun roof.

“We have an incredible partnership between the Packers and Chevrolet. This is the only partnership that Chevrolet has with an NFL franchise,” Edwards said. “Packers are different, community-owned; they have a community vibe. They really support northern Wisconsin and the U.P.”

Wanhala said she entered the contest by email every day since July. This was the first year she entered it, but she knew someone from the Hancock-Houghton area who won it a few years ago.

“Every time I saw her, I kept telling her I was going to enter the contest. And her name was Linda, too,” she said.

Wanhala is retired after 33 years with the U.S. Postal Service.

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Marguerite Lanthier can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 85242, or mlanthier@ironmountaindailynews.com.