Enchanted Mountain Challenge Back for 2nd Season
Enchanted Mountain Challenge Back for 2nd Season
New Year, New Challenge: Find the Clues, Solve the Crime, Win a Prize
Who needs an excuse to get outside in WNY this summer? The Enchanted Mountain Challenge is the perfect reason to go on an outdoor adventure. Back for its second year, this season’s Challenge promises to be very exciting. ellicottvilleNOW recently connected with one of the event creators, Kristen Thomson, about how this real life scavenger hunt got started and what’s in store for this year.
eNOW: The Enchanted Mountain Challenge is one part scavenger hunt and another part history lesson… how did you come up with the idea to create this type of event?
KRISTEN: The original Challenge was created because during Covid, we were home here with no internet… (we just got internet service connected to our house last spring)… and we needed to find something creative to do to keep our four then-pre-teen and teenage kids busy. So we started creating scavenger hunts around our house and property. I also have a love of history and learned some cool facts about our property, which got us looking into the history of Franklinville as a whole.
We were excited about the information we found out… who knew so many really neat historical events took place here in Franklinville?? We thought… probably a lot of people don’t even know! So we wanted to highlight our history and tell not only residents here but from afar about some of the unique happenings in our area. We also felt that while people will travel to Ellicottville for a variety of activities and events, we think people drive on by Franklinville and don’t stop to see or experience some of the great things we have here. So this was also meant to introduce our local businesses and community to a larger population of people. Finally, we like to be active and be outside, and we love escape room games and puzzles, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to combine all of these factors into one fun experience!
Believe it or not, the entire first Challenge was created on a beach in Barbados. But since opening the bakery, we’ve been too busy to stick our toes in the sand. So this year’s was created piece by piece in local restaurants or outside. We both need a change of scenery for the inspiration to get creative!!
eNOW: Now in its second year, what's new for the 2023 Challenge?
KRISTEN: This year’s mystery has a completely different storyline and takes place in a completely different historical period. This year, our participants will be helping to solve a crime. So instead of seeking a hidden item like last year, this year will be a “whodunnit”. This year’s Challenge will run between three towns instead of two. So participants will be going to Franklinville and Ellicottville and now also to Olean!
eNOW: What are some of the prizes individuals or teams could possibly win?
KRISTEN: Last year’s participants vied for a $500 cash prize, several gift certificates to local restaurants and stores, and an Ellicottville Brewing Company prize pack. We expect to have more prizes this year, and either offer a larger cash prize or additional cash prizes.
eNOW: What is the cost to participate? Are teams needed, or can you choose to do the Challenge solo?
KRISTEN: It is $55 per person or $180 for a group of four. You definitely can do the Challenge solo; you do not need a team to complete it. However, because the clues and puzzles are very different from each other, sometimes people find that having more brainpower - and especially people who think a bit differently from each other - might give them an advantage in solving the clues quickly!
eNOW: The Challenge runs into September so if a team begins, must they finish right away or do they have until then to finish?
KRISTEN: The Challenge should take about a day and a half to complete. Some people choose to do it over a weekend, other people solve one clue at a time and return regularly to do another clue. The best thing about the Challenge is that you can stop and pick back up where you left off. Each clue leads to the next, and you can start or stop as often as you want. It’s not a race. If you only have an afternoon one month, and a morning or two the next month, for example, you still can get the Challenge completed. Take as much time as you need, as long as you complete the challenge before September 5th.”
eNOW: Anything else you and your husband have in the works?
KRISTEN: Our bakery that we own, Sugar Goat Baking and Grazing Co., will now be offering ice cream! We have a full menu of Perry’s soft serve custard, 16 flavors of Perry’s hard ice cream, rotating flavors of our own gourmet ice cream, extra thick milkshakes, root beer floats, a ton of awesome sundaes and our own chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches, which is our homemade vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two of our homemade chocolate chip cookies. We are excited to continue to offer our bakery items and even more excited to begin offering ice cream!
eNOW: Anything you'd like to say to the community about the Challenge?
KRISTEN: We are just very thankful that we have had such a warm reception, and so thankful to our sponsors last year, especially at our clue locations for always playing along and making sure they were really active participants when challengers came by for clues. We love learning about the history of this area, and while we do create a storyline for the Challenge, we do incorporate a ton of historical facts. Our wrap-up video at the end of the Challenge goes through the whole story and will help people learn what was fact and what was fiction. But we hope this is a fun and unique way to get excited about history as opposed to just reading a book! If anyone is interested in learning more about last year’s story, including all of the clues and how they were solved, we have a wrap up video on YouTube. Link is here: https://YouTube.be/UF0-o3HK8Vg
Thank you, Kristen, for taking the time to share all these great details about the Enchanted Mountain Challenge. For anyone who’d like to register, check out the FAQ’s or just learn more about the Challenge, visit enchantedmountainchallenge.com.
