The 2017 History Hunt, a fundraiser hosted by Merrill Historical Society, will be held Saturday, April 29, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m, with check-in any time between 8 and 11 a.m. Registration forms are available at Merrill History & Culture Center, 100 E. Third St., or at the Society website, www.merrillhistory.org.
The theme for the 2017 History Hunt, “Rural Post Offices,” came about because Merrill’s Post Office Building is 100 years old this year. In celebration of this anniversary, all History Hunters will be treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the post office, featuring a team weigh-in on the big scale. The History Hunt route then heads out of town to visit the locations of 12 rural post offices. There are optional excursions planned along the route to enhance the day for the participants.
One new feature this year is an information book compiled by the History Hunt planners.
“Each participant will receive an information book containing pictures and stories which relate to places along the route. We have Info Stops along the way, sponsored by area businesses, for the hunters to pull over and read a section of the information book,” says Jane Francoeur, one of the planners. “This year we are also including an After Party Banquet at an undisclosed location. The Hunters will need to follow their directions and search for the clues that lead them to discover the After Party location. We’ve also added an ‘After Party only’ option on the registration form so History Hunt participants can bring a guest to the party.”
A change for this year is the addition of a Best Social Media Presence prize.
“Best Social Media Presence joins Best Team Name and Best Team Costume as our ‘Team’ prizes. Last year, a team who showed up on horseback won the Best Team Vehicle prize. We didn’t figure any team could ever top that, so we retired Best Team Vehicle,” Francoeur explains. “Then we dropped the requirement for your entire team to fit in one vehicle, to make it easier for a larger group to participate together in the Hunt. The minimum team size is two people because you need a driver and a navigator, but after that, your team can be as large as you would like.”
Registration for the 2017 History Hunt is $20 for Merrill Historical Society members and $25 for non-members. The registration fee includes the History Hunt driving directions with clues, the information book, After Party meal, and three prize drawing tickets. The first 100 people to register will also receive a swag bag. Registration deadline is April 27.
“At this point, we have three major financial sponsors: Weinbrenner Shoe Company, Thrivent Financial, and the Merrill Post Office,” states Tom Burg, another History Hunt planner. “We’re very grateful for their contributions. We are also collecting raffle prize and swag bag donations as well as signing people and businesses up to sponsor Info Stops along the route. If you are interested in advertising your business during the History Hunt, contact me at the History & Culture Center.”
The 2017 History Hunt is one of the major fundraising activities which support the programs and operations of Merrill Historical Society.
The Merrill Historical Society’s mission is to educate the public about our heritage using the unique historical and cultural resources we collect and preserve. For further information on the programs and activities of the Merrill Historical Society, or to become a member, please contact the Society at 715-536-5652 or [email protected], or see the website at www.merrillhistory.org.