Danielle Hymel jokes that her husband always seems to win whatever contest he enters.

To increase her odds, the LaPlace resident read a recent edition of L’OBSERVATEUR and filled out an entry form to participate in the publication’s “Salute to Independent Retailers” contest, which included a $100 gift certificate prize.

Danielle entered her husband’s name, and luckily for them, Chad Hymel’s name was selected.

The couple received $100 in gift certificates to El Mexicano, their choice of participating businesses.

A similar good-luck story was shared by Celeste Smith, who won $50 by participating in L’OBSERVATEUR’s Healthy Tips special page contest.

Smith said she gets the newspaper every Wednesday and Saturday from local gas stations and participates in the contests when she can.

That paid off this summer.

Readers are encouraged to look out for upcoming giveaway contests.

Turn to page 7B in today’s newspaper to learn how to win a $20 gift card to a local restaurant.

For all the expert gridiron fans in the River Parishes, our weekly football-picking contest begins next month with the start of the high school, college and professional football seasons.