Pinelands Branch Library will be hosting a scavenger hunt every Saturday in October.
Pinelands Branch Library is on the hunt to get the community to shop locally with its inaugural Main Street Scavenger Hunt.
Every Saturday in October from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., friends and families are invited to stop by the library at any time for a day full of adventures along Main Street in Medford.
Players will start at the library where they will receive a sheet with 15 clues. Each clue represents the name of a local business/nonprofit organization that sits along Main Street, and once the riddle is solved, participants can go into that establishment to receive a stamp next to that clue.
Once they have 14 stamps indicating they visited the 14 participating organizations, the players will return to the library to complete their final clue.
Upon completion of the scavenger hunt, all players will be qualified to enter into a raffle for a chance to win a prize basket. The prize basket is filled with gifts given from the participating organizations, and the Pinelands Branch Library will be donating a tote bag filled with books to the winner of the raffle.
Elisa Schoen, library assistant and liaison for outreach, has been working at the Pinelands branch since March, after transferring from the Cinnaminson branch after seven years.
The idea stemmed from a scavenger hunt Schoen witnessed during the holiday season along Main Street in Palmyra, and Schoen said after seeing Main Street in Medford, she felt it was the perfect spot to implement a similar scavenger hunt.
Aside from it being a fun activity for friends and families, there was another motive behind the hunt.
“I’m hoping to get more people from the area to shop locally and to come into the library,” Schoen said. “I thought it would be a really good idea to partner with the businesses to get more street activity.”
Danielle Haubrich, branch manager at the library, said, ultimately, the goal is to bring the community together.
“We would like to encourage folks to check out businesses on Main Street that they may not have been to before,” Haubrich said. “We’d also like to bring some of the business patrons into the library who might not know about all of the up-to-date services we offer.”
Participating children will not only walk away with the possibility of winning a prize, but also with problem-solving skills, social skills, leadership skills and more.
Participants do not have to be members of the Pinelands Branch Library and registration is not required. The library will be documenting the hunts taking place, rain or shine, on Oct. 6, Oct. 13, Oct. 20 and Oct. 27 through its social media accounts, using the hashtag, #bclsonthehunt.
“We are happy to contribute one more reason for families to get outside and enjoy their town this time of year,” Haubrich said.
