HANCOCK COUNTY — It’s pretty tough to fit 193 candles onto a birthday cake.
The Hancock County Community Foundation has come up with a less flammable way to celebrate Hancock County’s birthday this year by inviting the public to take part in a countywide scavenger hunt.
The event is designed to be an interactive way to teach some facts about the county, which was founded on Mach 1, 1828.
“We thought it would be a fun way to not only get our community involved in celebrating the county’s birthday but also get people out of the house, since it’s been an isolating year for everyone,” said Emily Wethington, the community foundation’s advancement officer, who is spearheading the project.
Wethington hopes the scavenger hunt not only encourages the public to celebrate the county’s heritage, but introduces people to some fun facts and hidden gems along the way.
“The spirit behind it was just a fun way to engage the community and celebrate the county we all call home. We have a lot to be thankful for in having such a great place to live,” she said.
The virtual scavenger hunt goes live Monday, February 22, at 8:30 a.m. and will end on Monday, March 1 at 8:30 a.m.
The first 10 teams or individuals who have the most correct answers and have traveled to find four designated spots around Hancock County will win a $50 Amazon Gift Card. All participants will receive a Hancock County garden flag as a thank you for participating.
Participants can take part by scanning a special QR code and answering a number of questions about the county, including historical facts and trips to local landmarks.
While eight of the 12 questions on the hunt can be answered online, four of them require actually visiting the spots that are revealed by a series of clues.
“We tried to include all regions of the county” said Wethington, who said the whole thing might take about an hour to complete.
The scavenger hunt is a unusual take on the community foundation’s effort to celebrate the county’s birthday each year.
Typically, the foundation marks the milestone by delivering booklets of facts and coloring pages about the county to children in all four of the county’s school districts. This year due to COVID, however, the staff opted to do something different and get the whole community involved.
“The hope is to educate the community more about the county, so we can all embrace where we live and love where we live,” Wethington said.
Those who complete the scavenger hunt within the allotted time frame can stop by the Hancock County Community Foundation’s front porch, at 312 E. Main St., at 4 p.m. March 1 to receive a Hancock County garden flag. The top 10 finishers receiving $50 Amazon gift cards must be present to win. Only one gift card can be awarded per family.
To participate, download the free Actionbound app on a mobile device and scan the scavenger hunt’s QR code posted on the community foundation’s website. Then make your way around to various stops throughout Hancock County.
