The Treasure is in the Hunt

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 4.26.08

2008-04-26T23:59:00.021-04:00

Two sons of Adam.

Two daughters of Eve.

A white witch and Turkish Delight.

Who will find Aslan first?

64 of the students involved in the Freedom Baptist stage production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe met after the final performance for their annual cast party. Most still in makeup, they ate a quick meal and were organized into 15 teams for a special treasure hunt.

Within the walls of their school, students racing through darkened hallways to solve clues and perform the tasks that would help them to find Aslan.

As clues were solved, teams gathered the two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve (photos of the actors in full costume).

Eventually a room was discovered where the White Witch was impatiently waiting.

Many teams stumbled into her presence and were subsequently chastised, White-Witch-style, to "Get out! Get out I say!" until they could produce the two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve.

Once the two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve were presented to the White Witch, each team member was required to partake of some Turkish Delight.

(I'm told the boys actually liked it.)

15 teams struggled valiantly . . . but only one could be victorious.

Click here for downloadable photos from the hunt.

Curt's Birthday Surprise 2.22.08

2008-02-23T01:19:00.037-05:00

Turning 30 is an auspicious, if not dreaded, moment in every person's life. My friend, Kate, wanted to surprise her husband, Curt, with something special: a treasure hunt that he and his boys could compete in, but that also was somehow about him.

Curt (thinking he was on his way to a steak dinner) arrived at a local coffee shop where 17 of his buddies, family and friends, were waiting for him. By 7:23 p.m. Eastern Standard Time the teams had been created, the first clue opened, and everyone hit road. (And apparently hit other things, too, if someone's bumper is any indication...)

At the Jolly Roger clue site the teams had to make contact with someone wearing an eye patch. But did Curt notice that the hockey team on the ice was Christian High?

Next stop was Curt's former childhood and adulthood home. EVERY team joked about hiding the clues that were taped to the porch swing, and the word is some lawn was turfed.

One clue hinted at the 30th president, John Calvin Coolidge... which sounds an awful lot like Calvin College, doesn't it? The rest of the clue pointed them to Calvin's pedestrian bridge over the Beltline, where teams had to sing Happy Birthday to get their next clue.

Music Curt likes (Johnny Cash, STP, Vanilla Ice, Lenny Kravitz, etc.) and other wellknown bands were part of another clue. Teams had fun figuring this one out, and most kept their CD.

The final leg of the hunt led them back to the first clue site, the Patterson Ice Center. Inside, teams reported in and turned in (most of) what they collected by way of clues and other items.

4 teams in the running.
1 emerged victorious. 1. Ben Hulst, Nate Post, Gary Mulder, Phil VanderHeide, Curt Mulder (1:45)
2. Aaron VanderPloeg, Mitchell Mulder, Mike & Tys Yoder, Jeff Vander Kooi (2:00)
3. Bill Pursifull, Doug Vanderwell, Mark Potgeter, Jeremy Gravedoni (2:15)
4. Don & Jon & Jesse Hunderman, Bob Mulder (4:24)

For downloadable pictures from the hunt, click here.

At Patterson, Kate and friends had a private room where tables were set up in superhero themes. There was cake, pizza, masks and skating for everyone.

Happy 30th Birthday, Curt!

to complete the circle of merry mayhem and crazy connections, Patterson Ice Center's night manager (my sister, lisa) is also a calvin grad and lived in beets-veenstra when Curt and his friends did.

Tour DiCocco 1.19.08

2008-01-20T21:17:00.002-05:00

Life is full of mysteries, and the DiCocco family's journey to move to South Africa has been tracked by years of living on the edge with just enough light to see the next step - not quite knowing what was around the corner. In the spirit of celebrating the mystery, they invited friends to compete in a "We Love Michigan" treasure hunt, where they could use their skills to follow the uncharted path, one step at a time. Tour DiCocco was a 5-clue Michigan-themed hunt in and around Grand Rapids held prior to the DiCocco's Goodbye Party at Urban Mill on Fulton.

During the hunt, temperatures ranged between 13 and 16 degrees...
but according to weather.com it "felt like" -2

21 teams competed.

8 teams officially finished.

1 team was declared the winner.

1. Pokemon Rangers: Malmquist Family (1H 37 M)

2. Jason Olson Family (2H 23M) used 0 hints, 0 computers

3. Berryhills & DuMonds (2H 38M)

4. Sayers & Kenyons (3H 6M)

5. Vander Koois & Mulders (3H 15M)

6. Team Mikrut (3H 19M)

7. Chastain Family (3H 47M)

8. Gebben Family (4H 55M)

(Total Time = Start to Finish time, PLUS hint penalties)

Tasha, Marie and Elizabeth in front of the car teams needed to find at Clue #1's location.

Other accounts of the Tour DiCocco: Diane's Blog