Community Press / July 7, 2016
MOUNT WASHINGTON – The community will have its first scavenger hunt this fall.
Mount Washington School and the Mount Washington Community Urban Redevelopment Corp. are organizing a scavenger hunt for Saturday, Sept. 24.
The hunt will start from Mount Washington School, 1730 Mears Ave., and extend throughout the community.
The race will take the place of the school’s Run with the Knights 5K event.
“Although the race has been successful, we thought it was time to do something different,” said Ilene Hayes, a resource coordinator for the school who helped coordinate the 5K.
Hayes said she was inspired by “The Amazing Race” and thought a scavenger hunt would also be an entertaining way to explore the history of the area.
“There are a lot of historical locations in Mount Washington,” she said. “At the same time (participants) will (also) learn about the businesses in the area.”
Hayes said a number of the business owners were intrigued by the idea since several of the clues will involve their stores.
The clues are being prepared by Mount Washington resident Marc Celsor, who was previously with the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.
Hayes said when people register, they will be given a passport containing 50 clues. Each clue will lead to a different location where a volunteer at the location will then stamp their passport. All of the locations will be in the Mount Washington area.
For example one of the clues might be “this school was established in 1870 and is in the community of Mount Washington.” Participants would then have to solve the clue, which is Mount Washington School and the location where they would then have their passport stamped.
Clues will have different point values based on their level of difficulty.
Hayes said it will be a walking scavenger hunt. Cars and bicycles are discouraged.
Check in and same day registration will be from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. The scavenger hunt will be from 9 a.m. to noon followed by a party and awards program from noon to 2 p.m.
The post-hunt party will be on Plymouth Street near the Mount Washington Creamy Whip.
The team or individual that has the most stamps and highest number of points in their passport will be the winners.
Participants can play by themselves or be part of a team.
The event is geared toward families, and all ages are welcome to participate. However, children under the age of 12 should be accompanied by an adult.
Cost is $25 per individual, $40 for a team of two and $15 for additional players on the team not to exceed five.
Early registration is encouraged to insure getting a T-shirt. The early registration deadline is Saturday, Sept. 10.
Online registration is at www.eventbrite.com. Participants can also obtain a registration form at Mount Washington School once classes resume Wednesday, Aug. 17. People can also call the school for information at 363-3835.
Scavenger hunt
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24