Cary, NC — CaryCitizen held the 5th annual Cary Scavenger Hunt Saturday September 13, 2014 and the rainy forecast did not dampen our spirits. An early call for a move to Town Hall made sure our booths and teams were dry for the afternoon festivities and awards.
Morning at Page-Walker
We started the day at Page-Walker Arts and History Center as intended.The morning included a swift check-in with our volunteers as well as muffins from Carolina Cafe and coffee from our friends at Capital Coffee. Everyone received the 2014 edition of our t-shirts, which some wits called ”predictably beige.”
After all teams checked in, everyone gathered together for the official event photo and to hear last minute rules and admonishments from our publisher, Hal Goodtree. That’s when the skies decided to open with a shower. Teams raced for their clue bags and quickly departed at 9:30am.
Afternoon at Town Hall
Cary Town staff had already set up afternoon activities to take place inside Cary Town Hall after weather forecasts predicted an 80% chance of rain for much of the day. The 2013 event also finished at Town Hall. While conditions are a bit loud, Town Hall did provide cover so that our electronic scoring and sound system were safely dry.
One added bonus: our teams were able to check out two town facilities in one day!
Top Score
This year we had trophies for the top three teams in each category: Family Teams and Adult Teams. The top score was over 11,000 points – the highest score ever! That first place score was awarded to a team that has competed in every Cary Scavenger Hunt since we began producing them in 2010. Congratulations to team Riddle E Racers!
Lowest Score Wins Too
We also had a prize for the team with the absolute lowest score of all, Team T4, with only 340 points. A last minute change in family plans prevented them from being able to reach many of the clue destinations. But never fear- they got a really nice prize. They will enjoy four tickets to the Cary Downtown Food Tour offered by Triangle Food Tours. Better luck next time folks!
Here’s our top finishers:
Family Teams
- The Fireman and His Three Swift Steeds –9920 points
- Team Zippy–9875 points
- The Luques League– 9800 points
Adult Teams
- Riddle e-Racers–11,045 points
- Connor’s Caboodle 2– 10,890 points
- Cary Me Away– 10,770 points
Look HERE for all team scores. The 2014 scores will remain live for a few months, until we begin preparing for 2015.
In addition to the trophies, which all included cash prizes, we had 15 different raffles including an iPad from Campbell University and a set of Michelin Tires donated by presenting sponsor, Atlantic Tire & Service. Teams enjoyed food, beer and activities provided by over 20 different booths at the finish.
The Cary Invasion basketball team’s cheerleaders and mascot were on hand to get the crowd motivated and raffled off tickets to some games for their upcoming 2014-2015 season.
Our newest improvement to this year’s event was electronic scoring which sped up judging and allowed teams to not only see their scores as soon as they were tallied, but also to compare how they did against the field. 50″ TV monitors flanked the stage, and teams were also able to access scored on their mobile devices.
Of course nothing would have been possible without the generous sponsors who willingly allowed teams to storm into their businesses, looking for clues or who created fun booths that made the finish area so much fun.
The event was a huge success largely because of our army of capable volunteers. These included: our celebrity judging panel, two great morning and afternoon check-in teams, prize award assistance, and team management. Lastly, we’d like to thank our friends at Populate Productions, who handled all the operations and behind the scenes work to keep everyone happy.
Looking Ahead to 2015
We look forward to another great event in 2015, and will keep you posted in the new year as a date is set. If you work for a company that does “team building” events, we think The Cary Scavenger Hunt would be an excellent fit. Contact Lindsey Chester if you would like to be involved with our next Cary Scavenger Hunt, or to help you run an event like it for your town. We will be actively seeking to partner with companies that want to sponsor teams for their employees.
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Story by Lindsey Chester, Executive Producer of the Cary Scavenger Hunt. Photos by Brooke Meyer.
