As summer blossoms and spring is left in our wake of recovery, the Idaho Lottery is kicking-off our summer campaign in coordination with the Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation that celebrates Idaho’s scenic treasures, our State parks. As sunshine abounds, Idahoans will once again have the opportunity to celebrate our State’s great outdoors. Hiking, mountain biking, climbing, fishing, paddling, and all other forms of summer activities will once again take prominence.

At the center of our summer celebration is the Idaho Parks Scratch game, one of the most scenic series of $5 scratch tickets we’ve ever offered. If you think there’s something familiar about the look of the game that features 11 collector’s edition, individual tickets, you would be right. The Idaho Parks series was designed by renowned Idaho-artist, Ward Hooper. The nostalgic, vintage style of Hooper’s designs yearn for a period of yesteryear and beckon the recollection of simpler times spent outdoors under starry nighttime skies. Whether it’s waterskiing on Bear Lake, star gazing through the observatory at Bruneau Dunes, camping under the towering pines of Ponderosa, or sailing past the soaring mountain peaks on Lake Pend Oreille at Farragut – everyone has a favorite outdoor pastime at one of Idaho’s magnificent State parks.

“For personal reasons, Winchester Lake State Park near Craigmont is still my favorite,” admitted Hooper on some of his personal connection to Idaho’s parks. “I went camping there as a boy scout. It’s closest to my heart.”

Hooper has been designing artwork in the 1930’s/1940’s style for over 17 years. His work has included designs for Brundage Mountain and Bogus Basin, along with the City of Boise and for Coeur d’Alene. The graphic designer says his art is best described as “Norman Rockwell meets a Steve Miller Band album cover,” using modern technology to create that 1930s feel.

Idaho Parks & Recreation commissioned Hooper to make a series of nostalgic posters for their parks. He drew inspiration from personal visits and photographic research. As he describes it, “I’m not trying to create a reproduction of the park of itself. For that you hire a professional photographer. I’m trying to create the mood, the experience of the park itself.”

For those who are looking to collect all the game ticket art there are eleven parks featured on this game. The parks are: Bear Lake, Bruneau Dunes, Castle Rocks, Farragut, Harriman, Lake Cascade, Lucky Peak, Ponderosa, Priest Lake, Round Lake, and Winchester Lake.

The game features two top prizes of $50,000 for players to win. If the ticket is a non-winner, players still have a chance to win through a series of second chance opportunities. Players can enter the 8-digit, alphanumeric App Code on the front of their non-winning Idaho Parks scratch ticket to play a game to reveal entries into the Ultimate Idaho Adventure prize, drawn at the end of the game. This package offers players their choice of staying in a fully furnished, park accommodation and a personal interpretive program with an interpretive park ranger at one of the following State parks: Harriman State Park, Castle Rocks State Park, or Ponderosa State Park. In addition, the winner will receive $3,000 in cash. This prize will be awarded upon the official end of the Idaho Parks Scratch game.

There will also be weekly drawings while the game remains on the market. Players who enter their non-winning tickets will be eligible to win a weekly $500 cash and adventure pack prize.

So take a minute this summer to celebrate Idaho’s great outdoors by playing the Idaho Parks Scratch game that’s more than a Scratch Game, it’s a work of art. Plus it will be fun for the whole summer, and into the fall.

And remember, when playing the Lottery, please play responsibly and when recreating this summer, please recreate responsibly Idaho.