The Kiwanis Club of Greater Woodbury is preparing to hold its second scavenger hunt on May 17 which runs through May 31, an event whose theme is weird South Jersey.
“We normally have a spaghetti dinner which raises a lot of funds,” said Lori Donovan, director of fundraising and social media for the club. Since we make a good amount of money with the spaghetti dinner, we wanted to find something to do that could be done in place of that for this year.”
The club has volunteered in the community since 1923, when it was originally called the Kiwanis Club of Woodbury. It has since opened its doors to Deptford, Mantua, Paulsboro and other small clubs in the area. The scavenger hunts are a new fundraiser created by the club to help collect money for a scholarship fund that benefits students in other South Jersey towns.
“We are a group that likes to help the community, mainly kids, but we do roadside cleanups and other things around the community,” Donovan noted.
The new theme was inspired by Muffler Men, male and female fiberglass statues of various designs that stand 14 to 25 feet tall. Part of a fiberglass company’s advertising campaign in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Muffler Men were created with various designs nationwide; New Jersey is home to a dozen of them.They are among sites to be included in the Weird South Jersey hunt, which will take participants on a journey from Haddonfield to Margate to see statues and sculptures along the way.
“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great for people to have a road trip to go and find all these different and weird attractions?’” said Donovan. “There is Del Buono’s Bakery, with a whole bunch of statues in the front of their building. There is a house in Pitman that is covered in statues.There are a lot of strange and wonderfully weird things.”
The hunt is a family friendly adventure that can be done by anyone. Registration will begin on May 14. Participants will receive an email on the 16th filled with clues leading to multiple stops across South Jersey. When participants reach their destinations, they can snap a photo of themselves and either post them to social media and tag Kiwanis Club of Greater Woodbury or email the photos to Donovan at [email protected].
The event is free, but the club is asking for a donation to help its scholarship fund. Prizes will also be distributed, but because the club is still seeking sponsors, the prize details are still being finalized.
To participate, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/weird-south-jersey-scavenger-hunt-fundraiser-registration-151386726775 for registration. Businesses who would like to sponsor the event can email Donovan at [email protected]. The sponsorship is $100 and will allow a business to be tagged on social media during the event and have its logo on the registration page.
To learn more about the event or the local Kiwanis Club, visit http://www.kiwaniswoodburynj.com/contactus.html.
