For those Providentians who like to stick close to their homes, where rent is already paid and you’re on the fourth season of that show you can’t stop watching, a scavenger hunt may sound like a four letter word. But if you like stories, and people, and learning about the history of the community you live in, you might give a Rhodey-based, two-day scavenger hunt a chance.
Leadership RI’s upcoming fourth annual RI Statewide Scavenger Hunt (SWSH) runs August 24 and 25, leading participants to locations all over the state, including many sites in Providence. The event grew out of Leadership RI’s core mission, which promotes leadership development for local community members. Samantha Bergbauer, Leadership RI’s Director of Community Engagement, explained that “In 2020, we had to adapt the Scavenger Hunt due to COVID-19, and thus was born SWSH—a way for the larger community to build pride in place while staying safe in their pods during the pandemic.”
What began as an exercise within the organization is now available to all interested Rhode Islanders, whether you are looking to enter as an individual, with a group of friends, or as a family outing. Over the course of the weekend, there will be 120 locations to explore, from Westerly to Woonsocket to Block Island. Gameplay commences from 10am and runs to 6pm on both Saturday and Sunday, with a celebration finale kicking off at I95 District Park on Sunday evening where participants will be able to meet other teams, play games, hear live music, and witness “the unlocking of the coveted treasure chest,” according to SWSH’s website..
The event has partnered with several community partners, including Rhode Island Slave History Medallion Project (RISHM), which was founded in 2017 by Charles Roberts in an effort to provide a publicly accessible history of unheard Black life stories through the installation of bronze medallions in RI spaces. SWSH’s partnership with RISHM incorporates medallion sites across Rhode Island into the weekend’s locations, allowing participants to learn about these vital histories along their journey. There’s more information and a a map of medallion locations and histories on their website, and for a local Providence location, check out RISHM’s information about the Stephen Hopkins House on College Hill.
Additionally, SWSH has partnered with The Avenue Concept, Downtown Woonsocket Collaborative, Providence Tour Company, Rhode Island Latino Arts, The Tomaquag Museum, and Weird Island. Bergbauer explains that she hopes through these continued community partnerships, SWSH can “represent a more dynamic and complete tapestry of Rhode Island’s history, art, and culture.”
The Executive Director of Providence Tour Company, Bradly VanDerStad, spoke to the novel quality of SWSH, saying “One of the best things about a scavenger hunt is that it makes you look twice at something you’ve already seen.” He adds, “Games are a cool way to engage with information and other people.”
VanDerStad shares one of the Providence locations that will be on the scavenger hunt this year: Shakespeare’s Head on Meeting Street. This building is believed to be one of the oldest three-story buildings in Providence and was the print shop where the city’s first newspaper, The Providence Gazette, was printed in the eighteenth century.
Leadership RI’s Director of Communications and Events—and the architect of this year’s SWSH—Chris Donovan’s favorite location on the Scavenger Hunt requires a short jaunt out of Providence to Cumberland. Elder Ballou Cemetery in Cumberland is the only known location of Cumberlandite in North America. Cumberlandite is not only Rhodey’s official state rock, but also magnetic due to its high iron content.
These are just a few of the historical sites to be explored in and around Providence and the wider Ocean State. If unable to participate in the Hunt this year, stay tuned for a year-round scavenger hunt experience that Leadership RI is working on with support from Rhode Island Commerce.
The event is a great reminder that there is a lot to learn about what’s around us. As the summer nights get shorter and shorter, and there’s the sense of that first hint of autumn air, we can try to slow down and seek out stories about the places passed by every day.
For more information and to register for the scavenger hunt, visit leadershipri.org/riswsh. The cost of registration is $60 per team—the funds go towards fundraising for Leadership RI. Over 50% of the locations included in this year’s event are accessible via RIPTA’s weekend bus routes. The last day to register is Friday, August 23.
Dana Schneider is a writer and poet living in South Providence with her cat named Froggy. She enjoys gardening, reading, and hanging out in Providence’s many beautiful parks.
