Debbie Sheppard, owner of Travel Escapes, stands with grand-prize winner Robert Beatch after the 2025 Great Escape event at the Tropical Inn in North Battleford on Nov. 21, 2025. The grand prize is sponsored by Travel Escapes. (Photo/battlefordsNOW)

By battlefordsNOW staff

GREAT ESCAPE

WATCH: Longtime contest participant lands 2025 Great Escape trip to Puerto Vallarta

Nov 22, 2025 | 9:18 AM

It was a night of fun, suspense and smiling finalists — and in the end, longtime attendee Robert Beatch walked away the winner of the 2025 Great Escape grand prize: a two-person trip to the new five-star Hotel Riu Jalisco in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

“Oh, very exciting. We’ve been coming to these parties for quite a few years now. This is the first time we’ve won,” he said shortly after hearing his name announced.

The Pattison Media promotional event, held at the Tropical Inn in North Battleford on Nov. 21, drew 98 VIP finalists — many of whom return year after year for a night of games, prizes and an ultimate escape.

The room erupted with laughter as finalists threw themselves into a slate of high-energy contests: Heads or Tails, Cookie Face, Shoe Flick, Chop Sticks, Butt Charades and Marshmallow Toss — with the Flip Cup Table, Mingle Bingo and a lip-sync showdown carrying the fun between draws.

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Guided by the dynamic hosting duo of 93.3 Beach Radio’s Nic Fransoo and 1050 CJNB’s Grant Schutte, the party stayed loud, lively and playful right to the final moment.

“Just a fun party. It’s a good time here. Everybody has fun. You may win something. You may not, but it’s still a good time,” he said.

Beatch already has his sights set on relaxing in the sun.

“We’ve been to Puerto Vallarta before, but never that hotel,” he said, adding he plans to spend “a lot of time on the beach, maybe just do some tours.”

“Just to get away. Just a nice little break. Break up the winter a little bit and just relax.”

As a loyal listener to Beach Radio, Beatch didn’t hide his admiration for the station and the hosts who keep the contest going year after year.

“[I listen to] 93.3 Beach radio all the time,” he said, adding he enjoys “the music” and “the entertainment, like the announcers, [they do a] really good job.”

Sponsors who made the night possible

The grand prize trip was sponsored by Debbie Sheppard at Travel Escapes in Meadow Lake.

Other local businesses that helped support the evening included Elliott Insurance, Tropical Inn, Nutters North Battleford, Affordable Mattress & Furniture, Last Mountain Distillery, Battleford Furniture, Meadow Lake Chrysler, River Valley Eye Care, Ace Lumber, Home Hardware Meadow Lake, City Catering & Convenience, Osker’s Surplus Outlet, Discovery Co-op, Adora Diamonds, Gold Eagle Lodge, Century 21 Prairie Elite, Capitol Theatre, Battlefords District Food & Resource Centre, Silvester Glass, The Brick Meadow Lake and Guy’s Furniture.

For Robert Beatch, after years of showing up and hoping, this year he finally gets to make his Great Escape.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com