Local organizations partner for event
It was a beautiful day Saturday. And Stephen Ambrose, the senior pastor at Wapakoneta Church of the Nazarene and the person behind the activity, could not have asked for better weather for the first-ever Wapakoneta Easter Scavenger Hunt.
Following the success of their Christmas drive-thru nativity scene, a collaboration between area churches limited in what they could do individually and who banded together to create different scenes depicting Jesus Christ’s birth, Stephen Ambrose, senior pastor at Wapakoneta Church of the Nazarene, wanted to do something similar.
Ambrose said he’d brainstormed this since January, and always intend it to be a drive-thru collaboration among churches, local non-profits and businesses.
The hunt, from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, started at Heritage Park where participants received a registration card and clue sheet. The sheet took visitors around the area to Auglaize Audiology, Harvest Baptist Church, St. Paul United Church of Christ, Wapak
Athletic Club and the YMCA (among others), where they collected 12 eggs with stickers on them. Most of the eggs were handed to people sitting in the safety of their cars by volunteers, so people didn’t even have to leave their cars.
“[We’re] trying to stay safe,” he said.
Stickers served as symbols for putting a story together. And while collecting stickers, participants also got free candy.
Once all eggs and stickers were collected, participants returned to Heritage Park, where they submitted their registration card for a raffle to win prizes, which happened immediately following the event. Participants were not required to be present to win.
Prizes included baskets from the Wapakoneta Area Chamber of Commerce as well as gift cards to area shops.
Ambrose was hoping to see as many participants Saturday as those who were part of their Christmas event, which numbered more than 1,000 in December.