A small business owner hosted a little scavenger hunt at Cottonwood Island Park recently and it was such a big hit she thought she’d do it again on Saturday, Aug. 30.
But this time it’s on a much grander scale.
Nik Meyer has an autistic child who doesn’t like crowds or too much noise and prefers to be outside rather than in. Thinking that most people are the same way she thought why not host an all-ages event in the park with more than 250 treasures up for grabs?
This scavenger hunt will see numbered plastic rocks hidden throughout the park and each person can bring back one rock to get a trinket.
Meyer, who has thought of everything and understands children, knows some might be disappointed with what they get so she’ll have several options on hand to trade like stickers or bracelets that might work better for some.
“I thought this would be a nice activity for anybody, whether you want to go by yourself or in a group,” Meyer said.
“Since we got so much interest last time I thought I’ve got so much stuff like crystals and little keychains that I’ve made — things like that — I thought we’d do a bigger event. So one of my friends, Victoria, who runs Magic Mommy, is actually donating a bunch of crystals as well so we can do more prizes this weekend.”
Instead of hiding the actual trinkets, Meyer thought it would be better to do something different this time.
“So I have these little garden rocks — they are glow-in-the-dark plastic — and we’re going to put numbers on them so we make sure we find them all,” Meyer said.
“Then we’re going to hide them early in the morning and then we have set times for people to come out, search and bring back the little rock and then they will get a prize. I will have prizes for them to see and pick from but if they want one of the crystal ones they will be bagged so we can’t see what they are then we’ll number them all once they’re bagged so it’s a surprise for everybody.”
Meyer runs Nik’s Knicknacks and Crafts.
“I started making crystal necklaces and stuff and so I had leftovers as I didn’t want to sell those anymore so that’s what people were looking for during the last scavenger hunt,” Meyer said.
“In my business I focus a lot on kids now and I have stickers, fidgets toys and cups that are drop proof – kid safe and I bring in a lot of Stitch-themed things – you know, things kids are into. Parents and adults like it too and it’s intended to be a cheaper, kid-friendly spot to stop at the craft fairs and things like that. I know what it’s like because I have a child and I know when we go to the fairs what they want is usually not cheap and I think my highest priced item is like $20. So I am trying to be a budget-friendly stop for parents and kids to shop.”
Meyer got the idea to do the scavenger hunt from others she’s heard about around town over the years and is happy with the plan for hers.
“This way everyone gets to have some fun — hopefully a lot of fun — right before school starts,” Meyer said.
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