Candy Cane Hunt - Heard on NRPAnet

Parks & Recreation, Jan, 2004

Has anyone ever sponsored a Candy Cane Hunt? That was a recent question posted from Charleston, W.Va., on NRPA's listserv, NPRAnet. For information on how to join the discussion, select "NRPAnet" from the right-hand side of NRPA's Web site (www.nrpa.org). Here are some of the responses for this winter-specific question:

"Last year was my first candy cane hunt and I am doing it again this year. It was a huge success, but I have learned a few things. We put candy in the eggs and it was hard to figure out what to do for the candy cane So we tied different color ribbons on some of the canes. Those colors indicated the prize that they won. It goes very fast so be ready. We also had hot chocolate and carolers afterward. This year, we added Santa and carnival games to the mix, so it will become a type of festival with the hunt kicking it off."--O'Fallon, Miss.

"We have done one for two years now. We had a candy cane trail that had trinket prizes for kids to find along the trail, and then it ended in one of the park shelters with a winter-themed craft project that can be done with gloves on. We also had the BBQ stands with coals for marshmallows and hot chocolate. We even did hot dogs one year. It was great fun with good attendance."--Two Rivers, Wis.

"We did a candy cane hunt last year for kids 7 and under and had a blast. You can hang what you want, but just throwing the candy canes in the grass works too. We then walked over to our marketplace 10,000-square-foot open pavilion--and roasted marshmallow, made s'mores and had hot chocolate. Great for the kids when it's right before nap time. Anyway, it worked well. Parents loved it and we played Christmas music while making the s'mores. Suggestions: don't advertise between this time and this time, just say it starts at a specific time until the candy is gone. Hold back some candy for the slow kids who cry when they can't find any. We also had free kid's meals from Old Country Buffet. Good luck."--Meriam Kan.

"We are starting a candy cane hunt this year as well. The hunt will consist of three different age-specific hunting areas that are separated by caution tape. We will also be tying ribbons On some of our canes for prizes to be claimed at the end of the hunt like free ice cream cones from McDonalds, etc. The pre-hunt will consist of a bag-making project for families. We are buying 500 white sack lunch hags, snowman decorations, crayons and glue for the kids to design their own bags for holding the candy canes. We are buying 3,000 canes of various sizes to spread out throughout the three areas. We are going to provide hot water in our Gatorade-insulated coolers and a bunch of single hot chocolate packets/stir sticks for families to make their own hot chocolate drinks. I was warned to keep a bucket of canes aside from the bunt to give to the crying kids who didn't get any canes during the hunt."--City of Fort Morgan, Colo.

"We've been doing a candy cane hunt for about four years. It was a "stand alone" event the first year, but now we have it on the same day as Christmas in the Park, which is a variety of activities. This year, we're separating the hunt into two areas: ages 2-6 and 7-12. We conduct the event in a large community park and hide large candy canes everywhere!! We hang them from trees, fences, playground equipment, and put them under bushes. We do charge for this event and limit the number to 75. They start out inside the pavilion where we give them decorated bags for the candy canes and give them instructions. Afterwards they can have hot chocolate and roast marshmallows. They're then encouraged to participate in the other Christmas in the Park events that start after the hunt and are free. We can't take credit for thinking of this event. We found it in someone else's brochure that we got from the Brochure Exchange."--Bloomington, Ill.

"We did our first candy cane hunt last year and had about 450 kids, plus another 500 or so spectators. We divided our park into four age groups and roped it off with the colored flagging tape. We did ages 3 and under, 4-5, 6-7 and 8-9. At the last minute we had a flurry of 10-, 11-and 12-year-olds that wanted to participate, so I would strongly suggest that you add that age group as well. Basically, I had around 3,000 candy canes of various sizes and scattered them throughout the hunt areas. Some of the canes were decorated with special stickers which meant that child got a special prize (donated by our local TV station). I also did other fun things like candy cane pens and pencils from Oriental Trading. Before the hunt, the kids could get cookies, hot chocolate, take pictures with Frosty and decorate a bag to collect canes in. This year, I am adding a puppet show by our library before and after the hunt, and face painting. If you do this, make sure to announce that parents are not allowed in the hunt area (except those who can't walk). Also, I would suggest keeping some candy canes hidden for after the hunt. We had a few kids crying because they didn't get any canes!"--Grand Junction, Colo.