FORT RUCKER, Ala. (Mar. 1, 2012) -- At first, Perrin Brumfield, 6, didn't know what was happening. All he could see was a small crowd walking toward him -- one person carrying a bunch of balloons and a white box.
But as they got closer, and he could see the picture of the front of the box, he threw both fists in the air and let out a yell of celebration. "An Xbox!"
Perrin won the Xbox 360 Kinect in a drawing held Feb. 21 during Character Dining Night at The Landing. The staff wanted to give everyone a chance to enter, so they waited until the end of the evening to select a random name, then called Perrin's mom, Jennifer Brumfield, with the news, explained Rebecca Hewison, promotions coordinator at The Landing.
"I was so surprised," Brumfield said. "When you put your name in a drawing, you never expect to win. I kept waiting on them to call back and say they had called the wrong person."
Brumfield wanted a special way to tell Perrin about the prize, so she and Hewison came up with a plan to surprise him at The Landing after school the next day.
The Brumfields entered the restaurant and were seated at a table. Shortly after, Hewison, and a small crowd of other people who wanted to see Perrin's reaction, delivered the Xbox and the balloons to where they were sitting. It didn't take long for the celebration to begin.
The Landing staff members were almost as excited about the prize as Perrin. They clapped and cheered as Perrin chatted about his favorite video game, Minecraft, and where he was going to keep his new Xbox.
Perrin's dad, Staff Sgt. Jason Brumfield, has been in Kuwait with the 597th Maintenance Regiment since late April 2011. One could hear the excitement in Jennifer's voice as she spoke of her husband's expected return this April.
"This is why we're here," Hewison said. "This is why we do this. To know the child of a deployed Soldier won, makes this and what we're doing here that much more important."
This isn't the first deployment for the Brumfield Family, but Jennifer said this deployment has been harder because the children are old enough to understand what their father is doing.
"That makes this very special for Perrin," she said.
Perrin stayed close to his new Xbox during all the excitement, except for one time when he ran around the table to ask his mom a question.
"Mommy, will you text daddy and tell him I won an Xbox?" he asked. She quickly agreed and added they would send him some pictures, too. When Perrin ran back to his seat (and the Xbox), she whispered that she'd already been texting her husband and he was excited about the new Xbox as well.
Character Dining Night is held every Tuesday from 5-8 p.m. at The Landing. Two children can eat for free for every paid adult meal. The entertainment varies from week to week, but possibilities include face painting, balloon animals, a magician and kiddie karaoke. Also, every week the staff dresses as movie characters such as Tinkerbell, Spiderman, Cat in the Hat and Pebbles, Hewison said.
"We make it two kids for every one adult, so if one parent isn't here, it's still a good way for them to have something affordable to do with the Family," she said.
Brumfield said she often brings her children to Character Dining Night.
"What they do here (at The Landing) is wonderful. It's a friendly place where kids can be kids. We're grateful for The Landing," she said.
Prizes aren't given away every week, but Steve Peacock, manager of business operations at The Landing, said they plan to do more giveaways in the future. He encouraged Families to watch for announcements about upcoming events.
"I'm glad the child of a deployed Soldier won," he said. "That's why we do what we do."
Social Sharing