Children hunt for Padanaram treasures

For three days kids could be seen traversing the streets of Padanaram, popping in and out of businesses on the hunt for hidden treasures.

Brightly colored fish hanging from the ceiling, a gnome hiding, a lighthouse, a stuffed sheep and rabbits with blue bows were just a handful of items kids needed to find to complete the second annual Children’s Scavenger Hunt, organized by the Dartmouth Cultural Center.

“Everybody said that the village was very busy over the [Labor Day] weekend, and so a lot of kids walking around, a lot of parents,” said Beverly Pusateri, who volunteers at the cultural center and organized the scavenger hunt.

Pusateri had three goals when she organized the event: get younger people involved in the cultural center, get the cultural center more involved with local businesses and make the cultural center more visible in the community.

“I think it does that,” she said of the hunt.

Pusateri said that around 50 kids took out participation sheets, with about 10 to 12 more kids participating this year than last.

“The weather was amazing, and people just loved walking around,” she said.

While kids won a prize from the Dartmouth Cultural Center for completing the hunt, some businesses also gave kids presents, including Gibson Sotheby’s Realty, which was giving kids wooden ornaments in the shape of a house.

“A lot of little girls were hanging it from their wrist — a new bracelet,” Pusateri said.

Pusateri said that one goal for the hunt was to help kids learn what’s in their community, adding that a couple of little girls told her that Strawberry Moon was now their favorite.

“I love kids, and I love the way that they react to stuff, to watch it and then have the businesses all say it was really good for them is very positive, because [the cultural center] kind of sits up on this hill,” Pusateri said.

Pusateri said more businesses participated in the hunt this year, noting that it’s “catching on” and that there’s currently some businesses already looking to be a part of the event next year.

Pusateri originally wanted the hunt to take place the third weekend in August, but with the cultural center’s annual Wet Paint event scheduled for that weekend, the hunt was pushed back to Labor Day weekend.

“But it didn’t seem to matter — [the kids are] still coming,” she said.

She noted, “In every town, you kind of walk by things that you see every day, and you don’t appreciate it until somebody points them out.”