It's been a difficult few weeks for New York and as the spring fades into summer there seems to finally be a lighter feeling in the air.  Spring breezes rustle the glossy green leaves on fully budded trees, and the sights and smells of summer begin to fill the air.  

Down the street a block party is just getting started, a band is warming up, grace notes filling the air as they tune.  There is the smell of smoke as open fire pits are being stoked, ready for a variety of food, and there is a steady chopping sound as lanky young men break apart huge chunks of ice to fill buckets to the brim with frigid water and bottled drinks.  

Paper flags hang from wires and lights bobble in the light wind, ready to light up the night as the festivities wear on. A little ways down there are several booths set up for games.  the on that caught your eye however is a table decorated with a gingham cloth, stacks of paper weighed down with rocks and a basket of pencils off to the side.  What you end up looking at though are the signs posted like banners.  "Scavenger Hunt!"  "Cash Prizes!"  "Everyone Wins Something!"   Everyone huh?  As you pick up a paper from the stack a woman comes around a stack of fruit crates. 

"You interested in playing?  It's deviously simple."  Her smile let's you know it's more devious than simple, but the idea of winning something appeals to you.  

"Sure, I'd like to play."  The lady smiles again and hands you a pencil. 

"All you have to do is fill out the things listed here on this paper.  Some of them are things you have to find, some of them are people you need to talk to and some of them are riddles you need to answer. Everyone who enters wins a little something, but the first 3 people who finish the whole list will win something really nice." 

You look down at the paper and see that item #1 is a question.  

"Who wrote the poem Lillian likes quoting when she's depressed? And what is the poems name?"  2 pts possible.

Well, that seems easy enough.  The woman looks up at you. 

"I'm Lillian and I'm running this Scavenger Hunt.  Keep track of your answers, they need to be turned in all together on this sheet. 

Hints could be anywhere, but assure you I've run a thread through everything to keep you on track.  If you find yourself tangled up, come back to the booth for help.  Good luck!"

You set off down the street, pencil in hand, wondering how to figure out the first riddle.

A scavenger hunt hmm sounds interesting, listening to the information given I would hazzard a guess as to the poet in question so here are my answers:

Who wrote the poem: Thomas Stearns Eliot.

The poems name: Redeeming Time.

Templar tips his hat smile and wanders off into the distance.

Gollum scales the mean walls of New Yorks city. With eyes widened he realizes that the precious could be a prize. The beautiful golden precious....Gollums immediate reaction is to go and initiate himself into the Saturday quest. 

I wants to play! I wants to play! I love riddles!

Gollum grabs the honest list from Lillian and runs off to begin solving the questions. 

Lillian smiles as she hands out question sheets.  She knows that the answers will be fun to discover, but also somewhat of a challenge.  She gets a glass of ice cold lemonade from a stand down the street and begins to look over several sheets that had already been turned in. 

Ok everyone, it's been a fun afternoon and I am so glad so many people showed interest in this here scavenger hunt, but the even will come to an at at 4:00.  Please have your filled out sheet turned in to me by then.  I already have several participants who have turned in their sheets, so get cracking! 

Murphy was in a hurry as she scurried up to Lillian with a crumpled piece of paper. It was smattered with ink and there was a tear in the paper where her pen had gone through in an attempt to hastily scribble out an answer but she was satisfied she had gotten them all correct. 

Lillian pulled sheets of paper from the decorated box she had placed on the table and began to look through the entires.  Some had been stuffed into the slot, some carefully folded and slid through the wide opening. She laid them out on the table and took out her favorite fountain pen.  

"Let's see who came the closest."  She licked the nib out of bad habit and wrote down names in order of who had turned them in. 

1. Gollum  13 correct

2. Templar 12 correct

3. Darth Maul 11 correct

4. Roco  8 correct

5. Murphy  15 correct

Congratulations, guys and gals!

Lillian hands out prizes to the top five winners and grins.  

"I hope you all had fun today! Summer is on it's way, so enjoy this last little bit of spring while we have it."  

She hands out cups of lemonade to everyone passing by and tidies up her table, placing loose pencils back in the basket and scribbling down the winner's names in her notebook. 

Gollum, Templar, Murphy, DarthMaul, Roco I hope you enjoy the spoils of your victory!  

Thank you Lillian an interesting concept and a lot of fun, I look forward to doing something like this again at some point.

Murphy was more than ecstatic as Lillian announced the winners and bounced up with a squeak of delight. She'd worked long and hard, even going through a few of her families records and notebooks that were stashed in her attic. After accepting her prize, and a delicious cup of fresh lemonade, she took a big sip from the crystal punch cup. 

"Thank you so much for putting on such a delightful scavenger hunt! I'll tell you some of those answers weren't easy to find! I think I'll take this prize money and donate some of it to the orphanage here in Old City District, maybe brighten up those kids day." She finished her cup of lemonade and gently placed the cup on the table before taking her spoils and heading towards her car to make a stop by the orphanage.