Flyers Scavenge in Central Park on a Beautiful Summer’s Day

Blogger Stephanie P Forgets it's July!

No, we didn’t get lost and miss the finish line…you might be asking, what were those Flyers doing running around Central Park after the Central Park Conservancy Run for Central Park (click on this link for Flyers race results) last Saturday? What, am I not making sense? Then you missed the fun this past Saturday, when 20 of your fellow Flyers could not get enough at the 4-mile race and decided to pair their running skills with their knowledge of Central Park.

So, you are probably asking, what was this Flyers Scavenger Hunt all about? Heather M was our leader who organized the event. Her team was responsible for coming up with the clues that were given to each team. It all started around 9:30 a.m. after the 4-mile race. Heather broke us up into teams of 2-3 Flyers. Each team received ten clues before we were set off on our way. The winner would be the first team to return to the designated post-scavenging picnic spot after using the clues to find all of the hidden items. We weren’t doing this for only the fun of it; oh no, we were told there would be prizes for the top three teams. (C’mon, it's not like we have any shortage of competition among Flyers!)

Heather M Discusses Rules with Ed A

Each team started at a different clue number and was instructed to go in order thru all ten clues. One clue was a “wild card,” and we were told we would figure that out quickly. Central Park encompasses 843 acres, and thank you Heather and team for not making us hunt thru all 843 acres! The clue locations ranged from the Amory South, to the Met at the North end, with the Falconer statue, William Shakespeare and the Bandshell as some of the destination spots.

One of the “easier” clues was to find the “place that running coaches like and runners generally dread…” with a reference to a cat (that would be Cat Hill!). Another clue was “a place where ABC Good Morning sometimes films” (Summer Stage). Once you figured the “spot” you had to find the trinket left there and put it in your scavenger collection. (These would be inspected by Heather at the finish to determine the winner!)

At Cat Hill, we were told by Julie W, “Sorry, you have to do a hill repeat first!” So, we had to turn around, run down to the Boathouse and back up the hill and only then were we rewarded with our booty – this time rock candy.

Julie W, relaxing, while sweetly commanding Cat Hill Repeats!

One of the more difficult clues had to do with the Met - did you know it was once a deer park? Well, many of the Flyers that day didn’t either as it stumped a lot of us! This contest challenged our Central Park knowledge and navigational skills! Teams worked together to get to the spot, and then find the trinket. At the Falconer statue, it took us a while to realize that the prize (a fake bird feather) was actually at the top of the base of the statue, which required a little trail climbing in addition to our running; we burned a lot of calories that morning!

The other items that we had to collect along the way were:

1. At the Arsenal...toy soldier

2. Poet’s Walk..Silent Willy (William Shakespeare statue)...heart ornament

3. Summer Stage...a star

4. The Bandshell...jazz beads

5. The Falconer statue...a feather

6. Loeb Boathouse...beer cooler

7. Cat Hill (repeats!)...rock candy

8. Cleopatra's Needle...buttons

9. The Metropolitan Museum of Art...had to bring back a museum bulletin, button or other identifying item

10. Wild Card: Hot Dog Cart...had to bring back sauerkraut

Some of the Scavenged Items

We did get a few stares from tourists as we ran (yes literally) around the park collecting our trinkets. And when we went to collect the “wild card” (we were given a baggie and instructed to bring back sauerkraut), my team was told by the first hot dog vendor that we went to that they didn’t have any! Hey, what’s up with that? So we ended up finding sauerkraut at The Boathouse restaurant.

It took the winners TEAM PINK (Sondra M, David B and yours truly) about an hour to complete the challenge, but we weren’t done yet. We were then given chalk by Heather and we had to produce some sidewalk art for her (a la James De La Vega) to claim our prize, three JackRabbit $20 gift cards.

"On the hunt" - Triumphant Teammates Sondra M and David B

The other winning teams:

Blue: Lara K, Celia K, Bob C - 2nd place. - Flyer s/s shirts

Purple: Shira Z, Rob A, and Justine A - 3rd place - $10 Starbucks cards

Trivia Winners - Steve K and Ed A - Flyer shirts

No specific prizes (beyond a magnificent free lunch!):

Red: Richard G and Victoria S (short one team member (Kudos to them as they DID get Museum question correct which was admittedly obscure!)

Orange: Ed A, Loredana D, Steve K

Green: Eric F, Sabrina G, Michael and Bo K- (also got Met question right).

As we all were famished after all the fun in the sun, Heather and team had prepared a picnic for us. There were delicious hand-made assorted sandwiches with lemonade, and there were even generous friends from Brazil who came bearing delicious Sprinkles cupcakes! Many Flyers came to hang out, with their friends, dogs, and babies -- and a good time was had by all.

Scavenger Hunt Picnic

Special thanks to the volunteers who put on this fun event!

Deb M (“great sandwiches”), Julie W (“the Queen of Cat Hill”) , Janet H (“clue planter”), Jens Hewerer (“picnic helper”), Scott S (aka the “brain trust”), Donna R (“picnic logistics”), Murat B (“picnic supplies” and his dog Papiko, Richard G, Richard B, and Dana M (“shameless promotion and advertising”).

-Stephanie P