No matter how much you know about Callaway County, the Callaway 200 Scavenger Hunt will likely teach you something new.
"These are places that people in the county should know about but probably don't," organizer Kelly Borman said, later adding, "It's a great way to social distance, spend some time with loved ones and friends, and see the county."
Borman, a history enthusiast and 31-year Callaway County resident, serves on the Callaway 200 board.
This scavenger hunt is the latest event celebrating Callaway County's birthday, 200 years after the county was officially organized Nov. 25, 1820. It officially launches Oct. 1, and participants have until Nov. 13 to complete the hunt.
To join in the fun, visit facebook.com/Kingdomofcallawayhistoricalsociety, go to the "Events" tab and mark yourself as "Going" for "The Great Callaway 200 Scavenger Hunt."
On Oct. 1, the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society will post the full list of 20 locations included in the hunt, along with historical information about each location. Scavenger hunt forms will also be available on the Callaway 200 Facebook page, callawaymohistory.org and at the historical society's museum and research center.
Participants - working individually or as teams - must visit each location, take a selfie and post it to the event page.
Borman suggested it might make a good activity for families who are homeschooling this year. She'll track entries in a spreadsheet.
"The idea is to get people to go to all 20 places in 2020 for our 200th," Borman said.
There's no pressure to complete the hunt in one day or even in one week, she added.
The 20 stops are spread all over the county, from the northeast to the southwest.
"It gets people all around the county visiting some really great places," Borman said. "There's a good mix of churches, old businesses, a gravestone, cemeteries and, of course, the Battle of Moore's Mill sign."
Borman has visited each site to ensure participants can safely take a selfie at each location and to confirm owner permission for locations on private property. Some she'd never seen before, she said. Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Guthrie is now on private property, but Borman managed to contact the landowner.
"The owner was so thrilled her building gets to participate in the scavenger hunt," she said. "She sent us information about the building's history, and she's even repainting the sign."
Anyone who completes the hunt by Nov. 13 will receive a small prize (details are still being finalized). They will also be entered into a drawing to receive a grand prize of $200, in honor of the bicentennial.
According to other Callaway 200 committee members, the idea for a scavenger hunt was actually floated early in the bicentennial planning process, but it never fully developed.
"Now that COVID-19 is here and we can't gather in groups, when this came up again, it seemed like a natural fit," said Diane Burre Ludwig, of the historical society.
The Callaway 200 committee still hopes to host other events for the county's 200th birthday - for one, there's the monument dedication planned at 11 a.m. Nov. 25 at the Callaway County Courthouse. The scavenger hunt grand prize winner will likely be drawn at the dedication, Borman said.
Additionally, they're considering hosting a small shindig at Serenity Valley sometime in October to launch the winery's special Callaway 200-themed wine, and working to finalize a date for the rescheduled Bicentennial Bash in 2021.
For the latest information, visit callaway200.com and the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society Facebook page.
Questions? Contact Kelly Borman or the historical society at 573-642-0570 or [email protected].
Correction: This article was edited at 11:33 a.m. Sept. 15, 2020, to report that Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Guthrie is the property that is now private.