An event that started in 2020 as a safe, socially-distanced activity during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be so popular that it’s now back for its fourth year.
The Ashcroft Easter Scavenger Hunt — organized by the Family Friends group and sponsored by Second Time Around, the South Cariboo Elizabeth Fry Society, Interior Savings Credit Union, and the Village of Ashcroft — began as a way to let kids have some fun when most normal Easter events had to be shut down because of the pandemic. Residences and businesses around Ashcroft decorated their yards and buildings with different themes, and participants then went around town with a list of clues and tracked them down.
It was something people could do on foot or in vehicles and in small groups, thus maintaining physical distancing. It proved so popular that it returned in 2021 and 2022, and the fourth hunt is set to start on Saturday, March 25. Forms can be picked up outside the Ashcroft HUB and the Ashcroft Journal office, or printed off from the HUB’s Facebook page or website (https://ashcrofthub.ca/). Forms need to be dropped off in the locked box outside the Journal office by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 3.
This year’s hunt features 28 properties around Ashcroft: 10 each in North Ashcroft and downtown, and eight on the Mesa. Organizer Joyce Buckland says that they had a lot of properties that have taken part in the past volunteer to do it again, but they wanted to change things up a bit this year.
“We found a lot of new properties, and each place has a different theme. Some are the same as in the past, but they’ve moved to a different location, and we have some new themes as well.”
Buckland notes that the downtown properties include businesses as well as residences, and that they struggled a bit on the Mesa.
“We always have trouble there, because we don’t do dead-end streets or cul-de-sacs, but we got eight really good ones, so we left it at that.”
She adds that people do not have to find all 28 properties, but do have to get a minimum of 10. And participants do not have to have kids, or even be kids, to take part: adults are welcome to join in the fun. Last year saw nearly 20 adults participate on their own, along with nearly 120 kids.
“We also get quite a few people from Cache Creek come and do it, so it’s not just for Ashcroft residents.”
Although the hunt started as a pandemic event, Buckland says people kept asking if they were going to continue doing it, so they kept it up.
“We’re a little late this year because none of us realized Easter was so early, so we had to scramble, but we got it done.” She thanks the three organizations that provide financial support, and Interior Savings for helping to put the prize baskets together, noting that at least one group reached out to ask about this year’s event: “Second Time Around called and said ‘Do you need money for your Easter thing?’”
Buckland adds that while there is a grand prize basket containing an assortment of goodies and a family pass for the season for the Ashcroft pool, which is awarded after a random draw from all the entries, everyone who takes part will get a prize. The prizes can be picked up at the Ashcroft Seniors’ Centre (601 Bancroft Street) on April 6 from 3 to 7 p.m. and on April 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The initial event in 2020 attracted the most participants, and Buckland says that 2021 and 2022 showed a decrease but had similar numbers. This year the event is running during the two weeks of spring break, and organizers are waiting to see what effect (if any) that has on the numbers.
“If it goes way down this year we might consider something different. We get a lot of the same people doing the organizing every year, but the people who take part love it. We get so much good feedback, and a lot of it is from adults, saying they have so much fun. We ask people what they think of the event, and if there are things they’d like to see changed, and we haven’t really had anything negative.
“I think we’ll carry on as long as people still want it.”
editorial@accjournal.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter