After a year off, the Albany area will once again be crawling with people in search of prizes, as the sidebar event to the Christmas at Home program, the Treasure Hunt, will return in 2015, kicking off the first weekend of December.

The Christmas at Home food and toy drive is now in its 12th consecutive year, and this will mark the 10th year of the Treasure Hunt, which will officially begin on Saturday, December 5. The first location to find the first clue will be given out at 10:30 a.m. on WANY 100.9 FM and repeated at 4:30 p.m. Also, Santa Claus will be at the radio station that day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and refreshments will be available. (Please bring your own cameras for pictures with Santa.)

Clue locations will be given out daily, Monday through Saturday, at 10:30 a.m. each morning and repeated at 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon, according to event organizer Pam Allred, owner of WANY radio.

The theme for this year’s hunt is “Santa Lost His Boot.”

There will also be an additional chance for someone to win a prize just before Christmas by listening to the radio, as the station will take call-ins for people to qualify to win a $200 cash prize that will be given away on Wednesday, December 23. People can qualify as many times as they get a chance, but no more than one time per day.

Allred said on Monday that currently over 50 merchants and businesses are participating with more to come. She expects there will be around 75 smaller prizes awarded during the search, with the grand prize being approximately $2,000 in combined cash and prizes.

A list of rules will be available at each participating location once the hunt gets underway and a listing of all the sponsors, prizes and contest rules will be published in next week’s Clinton County News.

Treasure hunters are reminded that “hunting” on residential property, cemeteries, schools, churches, or emergency services property is strictly prohibited.

Allred also gave an updated listing on locations where new toys and non-pershishable food items may be dropped off (people are asked to donate primarily new toys at business locations) and those locations are Dollar General Market, Dollar Giant, Family Dollar, City Florist, Save-A-Lot, Fred’s, Albany City Hall and the Clinton County News.

Food is especially welcomed and needed this year as well and can be left at city hall or at several churches that are collecting food for the Christmas at Home community toy and food drive. Food collected by churches is due to be picked up on Thursday, December 10.

Anyone wishing more information or to volunteer to help box food, wrap toys, etc. may contact city hall at 387-6011.