Mohican Adventure Hunt to return to Loudonville

LOUDONVILLE – The Mohican Adventure Hunt is slated to kick off on Saturday, June 11, at the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum in Loudonville.

The adventure hunt is a hybrid scavenger hunt that sends teams racing across the Mohican area to discover landmarks, find rare items and complete unusual – and often hilarious – tasks. 

“It’s a bit like a mixture of a traditional  scavenger hunt and 'The Amazing Race,'” said the museum’s curator, Kenny Libben. Each landmark, find or task is assigned a point value and teams must submit photographs or videos to prove they completed it. The first team to complete all tasks, or the team with the most points at the deadline, wins. 

The hunt was first held last year with over 50 participants competing for the cash prize and bragging rights. Though no team completed the entire list last year, Team Atterholt took home the top prize by narrowly edging out others with 49 completed tasks. 

“We weren’t quite sure how well the tasks would be received,” said Libben, “but by the end of the event it was obvious everyone loved it and begged us to bring it back.” 

This year, the first-place team will win a $125 cash prize, and second place will go home with a $50 cash prize. The cost to register is $40 per team (vehicle), with a discounted registration for members of the museum. The event kicks off at 10 a.m., and teams have three hours to complete their list of tasks – after which everyone is encouraged to return to the museum to find out how they stacked up against the competition. There are 50 challenges on the list of  tasks, but what they are won’t be revealed until the starting bell rings for the event. According  to Libben, the list is a closely guarded secret – not even the other event staff know what it entails. 

Participants will need a vehicle and at least one smartphone in order to send in photos or videos proving completion of their tasks. The museum is also seeking volunteers to help keep score during the event – which mostly entails verifying completion of tasks and marking off tasks on each team's list. Volunteers will be provided lunch during the event. Anyone with questions, wanting to register offline, or wishing to volunteer are encouraged to call the museum at 419-994-4050. All proceeds from the event help support the museum’s mission and preserves local history.