Saturday, March 6, 2021

Masquerade Tribute Hunts for Charity - SOLVED

On the Spring Equinox (3/20/21), The First Annual Masquerade Tribute launched! It consists of NINE hunts with NINE Treasures to claim. All for Charity. 

UPDATE: My contribution to the Masquerade Tribute has been solved!

Minimum donation to register for the hunt is $19.79. (The Year Masquerade was published) Larger donations are accepted (Special prize drawings from top ten donors). To see what hunts are still active and for more info visit mysteriouswritings.com. And be sure to visit the MW Forum as well!

The Treasure Hunt contributors for 2021 are:
Martin Smith – Grand Rapids Riddler & Read and Seek

The Masquerade Tribute Hunt is a Charity Event. All proceeds are going to be donated to worthwhile charities. It was a difficult task to choose just one charity, so we decided to pick three. 

St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital is a popular charity to donate to among the treasure hunting community. Several groups have chosen to donate to St. Jude’s in the past, and we decided that we would continue with that tradition.

It seems that almost everyone knows someone with Autism. In fact, there are many fellow treasure hunters in our community who have children with Autism. We decided to show them our support, and include the Organization for Autism Research as one of the charities for this event.

When word spread that we were creating a charity treasure hunt, several people approached us and specifically requested an animal charity. And the timing couldn’t be better, because COVID-19 has adversely affected animals too. With owners out of work, pets can no longer be cared for. Shelters are over-crowded. Donations to animal organizations are needed now, more than ever. And the Humane Society of the United States doesn’t just help pets, but all animals.

The Grand Rapids Riddler

I'm super excited to be participating in this adventure by contributing a hunt as the Grand Rapids Riddler. This means that the hunt is taking place in the greater Grand Rapids area! While there is now a medallion out there waiting to be found, this hunt has a slight twist: it can be solved as an armchair treasure hunt. That means it's open to everyone, everywhere. 

Name of treasure hunt: Family Ties

Where do I find the hunt? The hunt is being hosted by Mysterious Writings. Donate $19.79 or more by going here and you'll gain access to all NINE treasure hunts, including mine.

Prize: Minimum $100 Amazon gift card. Value will increase over time.

Deadline: 12/31/2021. If not found by the end of the year, the prize value will roll over into my next hunt.

Is this a Boots on the Ground (BOTG) hunt or an armchair hunt? Both! If solved via armchair, the prize is a minimum $100 in Amazon gift cards. If solved via BOTG there will be a special bonus prize.

How does the solver/finder contact me for the prize? Send an email to readandseekadventures (a) gmail. Use the subject: Masquerade Tribute Solution (so I can easily identify the email).

Are there any special instructions? Once solved completely, the clues will lead you to a very specific spot in the Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area. The spot is approximately 18 inches x 18 inches and no more than 3 feet above the ground. 

A valid armchair solution will have a Google Street View screenshot of the location. The solver must circle the location, which will be precise, in the screenshot.

In the spirit of the Grand Rapids Riddler, a BOTG solve will result in the solver retrieving the Riddler’s medallion (samples of the medallion can be seen at readandseek.com). Once the medallion is retrieved, contact me to arrange an exchange of the medallion for the bonus prize.

What is the bonus prize? Retrieve the medallion and you'll earn this custom engraved glass stein from Germany. I had it engrave with:

 "From man's sweat 
and God's love 
beer came 
into the world." 
- St. Arnulf of Metz