Woman wins coveted Springsteen tickets

When Wendy Compton-Ring bought two raffle tickets from her daughter, she didn't expect to win a trip to see The Boss.

"I've never won anything, I just figured it was a donation," Compton-Ring said.

For $20, she didn't foresee winning two tickets to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, exclusive passes to relax in the VIP E Street Lounge before the show and $1,500 in cash to defray travel expenses - but that is exactly what happened Saturday night.

"I was pretty shocked," Compton-Ring said.

Compton-Ring's lucky guest will be her husband, Dave.

They plan to make a trip to Louisiana in April to see Springsteen perform during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Music Festival. In the meantime, Compton-Ring is brushing up on the Springsteen hits she listened to in high school.

Compton-Ring, senior planner for the city of Whitefish, had purchased two raffle tickets, $10 each, from her daughter, Sonja, who plays clarinet at Whitefish Middle School.

The middle school, Whitefish High School and North Valley Music School teamed up to sell raffle tickets to benefit their music programs. They sold about 1,100 raffle tickets and raised $14,705.

The raffle was organized by Whitefish residents Toby Scott, a Springsteen sound engineer, and Garry Tallent, founding bass guitarist for the E Street Band.