As the eighth annual Christmas At Home program is now well underway, details…including the start time, for the always popular side event, the “Treasure Hunt” has been announced. The hunt will officially begin with the first clue being given on Saturday morning, December 10.

The start of this year’s treasure hunt, which coincides with the annual food and toy drive, will begin the day following the Chamber of Commerce window and home decorating contest judging, which will take place on December 9.

The theme for this year’s Treasure Hunt will be “Winter Wonderland” and will get started with the first “clue” in finding the main treasure to be announced on WANY radio at 10:30 a.m. December 10. Clues will be given at that time daily, with a business location listed where that day’s clue can be found. The clue will be repeated each day at 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday of each week.

Also on the opening day of the hunt, Santa Claus will be at WANY between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. taking children’s Christmas requests. Refreshments will also be provided.

While searching for the main “treasure,” hundreds of those who participate will also be looking for “reindeers” in hopes of finding smaller prizes donated by various businesses in Albany and Clinton County. Several reindeer prizes will be given. Persons finding a lost reindeer can take them to WANY during normal business hours and draw out the prize they win.

Other important rules of the treasure hunt is that the same person or persons cannot claim the grand prize two consecutive years. Further, everyone, including business owners and employees, are eligible to search for prizes. The only persons not eligible to win prizes, including the grand prize, are WANY employees and immediate family members.

The main prize this year will again consist of $1,000 in cash and several other prizes donated by local businesses. Each prize valued at $25 or more will be part of the overall “package” grand prize.

Pam Allred, organizer of the Christmas At Home program as well as the Treasure Hunt competition, said the entire program, including the Treasure Hunt, was designed to promote local businesses in the area by getting treasure hunters into its places of business.

Each participating business will have a clue posted at their store, with one being placed at a different location each day. The clue list will remain at those business places until the grand prize is claimed.

Any business wishing to participate in the treasure hunt this year is asked to contact Allred or call WANY prior to December 10.

The treasure hunt always causes a flurry of activity in the downtown area throughout the month of December and certain rules do apply.

The grand prize, nor any reindeer prizes, will be placed in certain areas and searching for items is prohibited on residential property, at churches, schools and cemeteries. Also, prizes will not be placed in an area or in a manner that would be hazardous for treasure hunters to find.

Allred also noted, in promoting local businesses during the holiday season, that Santa Claus makes appearances at four or five different places other than the radio station in December, for example, the Extension Service sponsored Christmas Village, among others. Because of this, she said, most people don’t have to go to larger cities or towns for their children to visit with Santa Claus.

With the treasure hunt just around the corner, the Christmas At Home program itself continues through December 15 and its still not to late for businesses, churches or other organizations to help in collecting food and toys for families and children, as well as the elderly and others less fortunate this Christmas season.

Allred also announced that three additional businesses have collection boxes set up in their stores to collect new toys for the drive. They include McWhorter’s Variety, Dollar General, Fred’s, Dollar Giant and the county judge’s office. Anyone wishing to donate should look for boxes marked “Christmas At Home.”

More details on the Treasure Hunt, including rules and how the hunt works, and other updates will appear in future issues of the Clinton County News.