The BYUH Bookstore hosted a campus-wide scavenger hunt to look for a cache of bookstore goodies hidden in a red crate on Jan. 28.
Chris Nartker, a sophomore from Idaho studying biochemistry was one of the chief planners of the event and said, “I felt like there was an awesome turn out because we had over 30 people show up.”
The crate contained a BYUH T-shirt, a black and red flat-brimmed BYUH hat, a miniature teddy bear wearing a tiny red BYUH T-shirt, a pair of brown leather sandals, a tie, a custom white BYUH Fiftyfifty brand 18oz water bottle, a black leather journal, a pack of BYUH stickers, and some candy.
According to Nartker, the contents of the crate retailed a total of about $100 and were intended to go to whoever found the crate first. A riddle regarding the crate’s whereabouts was posted on the BYUH Bookstore’s Facebook page two days before the hunt began.
The first clue was posted a little after 5 p.m. on Jan. 26, and said, “I have legs but I cannot move, I watch strangers pass by. Rain or sun I continue to work. Don’t let me become forgotten.”
At 5 p.m. the next day, the simple message “don’t leave campus” was posted online with a picture of the crate and its contents. The next day at 11 a.m. the hunt was started with a picture of the crate at the base of an unidentified statue being posted to the page.
Two minutes later the location was given away when the bookstore posted a picture of the crate at the feet of the Jonathan Napela and George Q. Cannon statue by the CAC with the caption, “This is the place! Come claim your prize!” 20 minutes later it was publicly announced that the crate had been found.
Contrary to the original plans, so many people had shown up they decided to split the loot between everyone who made it to the crate, according to Nartker. Several of the students like Paul Mooso said the scavenger hunt leaned a bit on the easy side.
Mooso is a sophomore majoring in information systems from Indiana and said he thought the reason there were so many winners was because they had “too much time to figure out the riddle.”
Megan Cancienne, a freshman from Texas studying biomedical science, agreed with Mooso’s opinion and said “I think if it had more steps it would have been better. Instead of having one clue, have multiple clues in different places.”
Shortcomings aside, nearly everyone in attendance agreed they had a fun time and hoped more people will come out for next month’s hunt.
A junior painting major from Korea named Heeryong Park said he thinks the bookstore will need to advertise the event more thoroughly to give more people a chance to hear about it.
Nartker said the managers at the Bookstore hope to make the Red Crate a monthly function with different prizes each time. He said the crate won’t always be limited to the BYUH campus, but will eventually find its way to “famous spots around Laie.”
To see who got to claim a prize from the Red Crate and to hear details about the next hunt, visit the Bookstore’s Facebook page, “BYU–Hawaii Bookstore BYUH.”