VIRTUAL GAME HELPS IB RESIDENTS CONNECT

Scavenger hunt encourages exploring safely

IMPERIAL BEACH

With no fireworks, parade or backyard barbeques, this year’s Fourth of July was shaping up to be a dud for the Jiampa family

Two of the children, ages 8 and 10, had already endured school cancellations and stay-at-home orders so they were particularly disappointed about the canceled fireworks, said their mother, Carrie Jiampa.

But a semi-virtual scavenger hunt taking place in Imperial Beach saved the family’s Independence Day.

The family spent the day outside, chasing down clues on their bikes, visiting historic sites, finding colorful art murals, and taking selfies at local businesses.

“It made for the best Fourth of July,” Jiampa said. “The whole family was working together. The kids couldn’t wait to get to the different places.”

The scavenger hunt, officially known as the Ibactive Scavenger Hunt, began July 3 and ends July 17. It was designed by the San Diego County Bike Coalition as a way to encourage active transportation. Imperial Beach Arts Bureau and Imperial Beach Historical Society helped come up with clues to attract people to local landmarks and build a sense of community during a pandemic.

“People have had so many mental health needs lately, just because of the challenges of isolation, feeling cooped up, job loss and just being afraid of getting sick,” said Sylvie Froncek, programs director at SD County Bicycle Coalition. “This gives people a little bit more of an incentive to do things that make people feel healthy.”

Even though the scavenger hunt kicked off last week, people can still join. The only thing participants need to start chasing down clues is to sign up with the Scavify

app.

Clues can be anything from going to the oldest house in Imperial Beach, to answering trivia questions on city’s official flower, to visiting specific murals around town. Finding each clue gets you points, and participants with the most points by July 17 will win prizes purchased from local businesses.

Some of the participating businesses include IB Pet, Red House Kitchen, Tin Fish, Yoga with Shawna, Trident Coffee and Mike Hess Brewing.

While planning the scavenger

hunt, Froncek didn’t know how people would react. She said entering some of the first clues into the Scavify app early on, the whole thing didn’t feel real.

But so far, more than 140 people have participated. And collectively, they’ve completed more than 1,000 challenges. New challenges get added on an almost daily basis.

“I’ve had families contact me to say their kids are loving it,” she said.

One of those 140 participants include City Councilman Mark West, who was an early cheerleader of the scavenger hunt. West put Froncek in touch with local organizations and businesses to help make the

hunt possible.

“It’s really cool,” he said. “I think it’s great. I think it’s a wonderful way for people to get out socially distanced and really enjoy the community.”

Maintaining Imperial Beach’s sense of community has become vital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I see a lot of people without masks,” said Anne Porter of the IB Arts Bureau. “To me, that’s an indication that they don’t feel connected to the people around them.”

So, something that encourages people to go out and walk, run, bike or skate through the city and interact with the community is perfect because it helps establish a sense of place and belonging, she added.

The Arts Bureau has been helping to come up with clues that encourage people to explore the city’s art murals. Some of the clues include finding the painting of a cow jumping over the moon or counting how many murals feature turtles.

When a reporter asked for the answer to the turtle question, Porter said he’d have to find the answer himself.

“It turns out there are several, but I’m not going to give it away,” she said. “You’re going to have to play.”

gustavo.solis@sduniontribune.com