Treasure chest with $5,000 and other prizes is hidden somewhere in eastern Idaho
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IDAHO FALLS — Anderson Hicks Group is bringing back the Idaho Treasure Hunt for the second year in a row, and this year the cash prize is much bigger.
Over the weekend, marketing manager Anike Wilder and other members of the team hid a treasure chest somewhere in eastern Idaho containing a certificate for $5,000, along with other prizes donated from local sponsors. Some of the other items include three one-hour passes to iJump, free ice cream at Dairy Queen and gift certificates to other businesses.
Clues will be presented weekly on the Anderson Hicks Group Instagram page and website. The first person to find it gets to keep the loot and the prizes.
“We’re putting out our first riddle (clue) next Friday, August 4. That’s when the hunt will start,” Wilder tells EastIdahoNews.com. “Sign up and you’ll receive clues each week that will narrow down (your search).”
Spitfire Pickleball, Ron Sayer and Hamlet Homes, along with many other community partners, provided the prizes for this year’s hunt. Wilder hopes it provides participants “precious moments with family members and friends they otherwise wouldn’t have” and helps people “discover new places in the area.”
Anderson Hicks Group hosted its first treasure hunt last year. Braydon Bench, 25, of Swan Valley found the hidden chest with $2,000 and other items hours after the first clue was posted. That led to another treasure hunt in the fall and during the holidays to help raise funds for the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission.
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Wilder’s purpose in hosting the treasure hunt last summer was to “inspire people to get out of their house.”
“Coming out of the pandemic, a lot of people had gotten in the habit of being a home body. We wanted to inspire some adventure, and this created more hope in the community than I ever thought,” says Wilder.
Those who participated provided a lot of positive feedback. Wilder received many comments, such as “this gave me so much hope that I could pay off my bills” or “this created an opportunity to do something with my daughter that I never do anything with. We had so much fun hiking as we searched for the treasure.”
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It was the community’s response that prompted Wilder to do it again this year. As long as people continue to enjoy it, the goal is to make this an annual summer event.
“It will always be family-friendly and it will always be free,” she says.
