Joy Hellard
Adapted from the game “Where’s Waldo,” unit 16B held an outdoor Thanksgiving scavenger hunt Nov. 25 through Nov. 27, 2020. The rules for the game asked participants to hide up to three turkeys in their front yards. As dawn appeared on Nov. 25, the creativity of the residents’ turkeys was notable. Towering at roof height, a huge inflatable turkey in one yard swayed in the morning breeze. Another lawn sported a turkey clutching a cryptic sign asking 16B residents to “Order Chinese.” Cleverly blended into the environment, other entries challenged residents to find them. Approaching one of these camouflaged specimens, a couple of participants were overheard debating if it was truly an entry. Eventually coming to the conclusion that the original cholla branch would not have grown with glued-on eyes, they included it in their count.
Residents strolled, biked, or drove their golf carts around the unit counting turkeys during Thanksgiving. Some residents carried clip boards or note pads to record all the hidden fowl. Competition was lively and good natured as participants calculated the number of turkeys. Determining their total, contestants sent emails to one committee member who recorded their count of hidden “waddles.” At the end of the day on Nov. 27, participants awaited the results determining the winners of the “Where’s Waddle” contest.
The “eagle eyed” 16B residents of the 2020 Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt are Laurie McCoy in first place, Bob Frank placing second, and Roxanne Watson receiving third place. Laurie McCoy was 16B’s super sleuth identifying 49 of the 52 hidden “waddles” and won a bottle of wine in a decorated cloth bag. Both Bob Frank and Roxanne Watson discovered 47 of the cleverly hidden turkeys. Bob’s earlier submitted email broke the tie. Both contestants received fabulously decorated Thanksgiving bags filled with a cornucopia of “once-in-a-lifetime” Dollar Store items. The turkey scavenger hunt was a fun, socially distanced event keeping 16B residents safe while celebrating the spirit of the holidays.