For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
    So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal.
    ~2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

History of Scavenger Hunts


A scavenger hunt is a game in which the organizers prepare a list defining specific items, which the participants – individuals or teams – seek to gather all items on the list – usually without purchasing them – or perform tasks or take photographs of the items, as specified. The goal is usually to be the first to complete the list, although in a variation on the game players can also be challenged to complete the tasks on the list in the most creative manner. (source: Wikipedia)



 When I was in junior high and high school, our church youth director did summer scavenger hunts. Sometimes we had to walk through the neighborhood asking for items. Other times our hunts were at the mall, or even city-wide. Before the item could be collected, the group had to figure out the clue. St.Patrick Hay meant Green Straw which meant Go to Starbucks and get a straw. 


 Scavenger Hunts evolved from ancient folk games. Thanks to Elsa Maxwell, they became a popular form of entertainment.

 Elsa Maxwell (May 24, 1883 – November 1, 1963) was an American gossip columnist and author, songwriter, and professional hostess renowned for her parties for royalty and high society figures of her day. She developed a gift for staging games and diversions at parties for the rich, and began making a living devising treasure-hunt parties, come-as-your-opposite parties and other sorts, including a scavenger hunt in Paris in 1927 that inadvertently created disturbances all over the city. She also hosted parties in Cannes, Venice, and London, and launched night clubs in England and America. 


In the 1930s, in a series of exclusive New York parties, Elsa introduced scavenger hunts and treasure hunts, which created a Society's obsession with them. This scavenger-hunting craze among New York's elite was satirized in the 1936 film My Man Godfrey. 

 If you have 93-minutes to waste, you can watch it here:

In 1950, the Connecticut Valley Camera Club hosted their annual photographic scavenger hunt. The group was divided into two teams, after which print titles were assigned. The photographers had to bring in print and color slides to fit the titles. The titles, chosen from suggestions given by the group, were Wet Weather, Rendezvous, Street Scene, Sour Grapes, Smoke, and Two of a Kind.

PBS Scavenger Hunt thru History // Match the historical event with the time period in which it happened. // Click HERE to test your skills.

Have you ever participated in a Scavenger Hunt? Tell me about it!

WIN A COPY OF 
THE HEIRESS'S COURTSHIP 
LIHp January 2014

Each day this week, during the Harlequin Love Inspired/Heartsong Presents Community Picnic, I will give away one copy of The Heiress's Courtship. Leave a comment and your contact information [yourname(at)addy(dot)com]. Contest runs June 9-15. Drawing held on June 16th and winners will be notified.

To learn more about my books, including my next Heartsong release The Marshal's Pursuit, visit my website:
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2 comments:

  1. DeAnna Julie DodsonJune 12, 2014 at 12:41 PM

    Oh, no, no, no! My Man Godfrey with William Powell and NEVER a waste. So much fun. HIGH up on my favorites list. :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. mexwellNovember 10, 2021 at 10:30 PM

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    ReplyDelete

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