Successful Scavengers Scour the Streets of Sayville

The Common Ground and co-sponsored a scavenger hunt run and walk on May 14 with 31 registered teams hunting the streets of Sayville and West Sayville. All proceeds went to benefit The Common Ground and help fund its year-round activities for the community.

“When we were trying to come up with an event, I figured who else to ask but Brendan Barrett at Sayville Running Company,” said Alina Rossi, special events coordinator and board member at The Common Ground. “Brendan had plenty of experience with putting together walks and runs. He suggested we hold a scavenger hunt. I loved the idea as soon as I heard it.”

Runners and walkers were given a list of clues to search for various locations throughout Sayville and West Sayville during the two-hour time limit. The only required equipment was a digital camera to take shots of their findings.

For teams with children, many clues were placed in town. Participants were even required to go inside some stores for “proof” of their visit. Teams had to stay together at all times and often photos of the whole team were required for documentation. There were also many “bonus” points awarded if you were the first team on the scene. A blue fork was strategically placed at many of the further checkpoints and could earn a team an extra 40 points in some cases.

Winning teams took home prizes based on their total score. With each clue being worth a specific value, judges needed to tally up all the items and photos in order to name a winner. Twelve prizes were given out in all, which included a basket full of goodies from the donations by local businesses. Team “This Just In” came in 10th place. In ninth place was “The Awesomes,” followed by “The Leapin Lucky Lofaro’s” in eighth place. Seventh place went to the “Flying Z’s” and sixth place was “Triple Point.” “Jac’s Pack” in their matching t-shirts came in fifth place, while fourth place went to “Holy Toledo.” Team “Summer” took home third place, while the “Crazy Legs” finished in second with 1905 points. Taking home the grand prize basket with 2015 points was the “Sayville Trailblazers.”

Many businesses were instrumental in the successful fundraising event as well, donating services or opening their doors to participants during the scavenger hunt. Some of the businesses include: Sayville Hearing Services; ; Spelman Studios; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Aflac; ; Om Shanti Om Yoga; ; ; ; ; West Sayville Flowers; ; Roxy’s Ice Cream; ; and .