The first annual Newton Falls Treasure Hunt has become a national event. People from almost every state are participating, as well as hunters from Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada. So, technically, it has become an international event.
A special day was planned for Treasure Hunters to come to Newton Falls to meet the members of the Newton Falls Community. Kpro, an internet creator known for coordinating and promoting treasure hunts around the world, was in town on May 16. She has built her brand, Cowlazars, by launching and promoting treasure hunts, the winners and also maintaining ethics during the various hunts. Cowlazars hosts the biggest and longest running treasure hunting convention in the United States. Seeking Treasure Con 26 was held this past January at the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. This convention, with its beginning 10 years ago, has grown from the original 16 attendees to sold-out audiences for the past two years. What started those 10 years ago, mainly as a source of amusement, has certainly grown!
The carefully planned day was to start at Four Corners Park in beautiful downtown for a Meet and Greet. There were canopies set up for music and prizes. Kpro and her local helpers had created a small treasure hunt to get people into the unique shops and businesses in town. Called the “Treasure Hunter Newton Falls Passport” particpants were encouraged to play an Ice-breaker game to start. Then they were encouraged to visit the businesses that displayed the Passport. A coin was hidden in each business and the hunter would get a stamp on the passport. Completed passports were turned in at the end of the day for prizes. A young treasure hunter named Riker even made a hunt aimed at the youngsters in the crowd.
All that careful planning, and Mother Nature temporarily shuts it down. A mighty afternoon of rain sent the group to the Five Fours Distillery to wait it out. While there, people had a chance just to chat, share tips and get to know each other. Of course, they loved their hosts at Five Fours, as well as enjoyed the food at the Drunken Bear BBQ food truck.
While talking with the dedicated hunters, this reporter had a chance to meet an entire Treasure Hunting Family. Father, Scott, has been participating in hunts for a while now. He was inspired by reading the book, There’s Treasure Inside. He then started looking at YouTube and came across Kpro and Cowlazars. He participated in the Etsy’s Quest and became hooked! His family has enthusiastically joined him. When he found out about the Newton Falls Hunt, he made several trips from his Smithville home to plan the Meet and Greet. He helped his son Riker, plan and hide treasure for the youth hunt as well as helped with the clues. Riker went to various businesses to seek donations for prizes. Hometown Hound supplied an old gas token as well as three silver dollars. His 4 clues included some history as well as some riddles. He told me that he wants to be a Storm Chaser when he grows up…this day gave him some excellent experience for that! DeAnna, Riker’s mom, was proud to see her son doing his own thing. Scott’s other son Blayze, ran the sound for the event, and helped with organizing and set up the website for the event.
By midafternoon, the rain had chased most but the most dedicated away. I was able to meet with some hunters that came a long way. Joanne came here all the way from Jacksonville, FL. Though she followed the hunt from afar, it was her first time to have boots on the ground.
Adreanne Foos, the author of Images of America, Newton Falls, was also there. She was autographing her book. Since many of the clues are drawn from the history of the area, this book could prove beneficial for the hunters. Tom has them on sale at his store, Fieldview Acres Mercantile, on Broad Street, and it can be checked out at the library. It is also available at www.arcadiapublishing.com/newton-falls.
Once the rain dried up, our own Tom Colosimo spoke at the event. He shared his inspiration for starting this, as well as how it grew from his initial donation of $1,000 to currently $33,000 and growing. There was a Question-and-Answer session. “Do you have to move anything?” Tom’s answer was that the clues are very specific and will tell you. All clues are inside the city limits and don’t include the township. “How long did it take to orchestrate?” He had one month and didn’t really have a clue about what he was doing! “What are the clues based on?” They are based on the history of the community. The cemetery is a part of the hunt so please be respectful. All ten clues are necessary to find the treasure, and the clues were designed to have actual Boots on the Ground, not relying on ChatGPT.
This reporter knows that if she wants the Tea for Newton Falls, to visit Ron Stoner at the Glass Act, or check in with Tom at the Merc, so…a few weeks after this event, Ethel stopped in to see how the treasure hunt is going.
As one goes to the counter, there is a merchandise display. It has the Adrianne Foos book, maps, postcards, other books on the history of the area, as well as T-shirts. Tom was very proud that these are all locally sourced. One of his main goals with the hunt was to help build up local businesses. Most of the suppliers for his Treasure Hunt Merchandise are small, work-from-home businesses. He also has laminated copies of the published clues on hand.
He shared that he has over 26,000 followers on his business page. This is up from under 4,000 before the hunt. This is how one monetizes Facebook!
The treasure continues to grow. Sarchione, one of the Hunt’s sponsors, continues to donate…$50.00 for every new vehicle sold at their Garrettsville location.
For those of us that need more excitement, he has started Mystery Boxes. Each box costs $100.00 to purchase. There are 28 boxes total, 27 of them have $100 gift certificates for his store. One has the gift card plus a gold coin from El Cazador. El Cazador, Spanish for The Hunter, was an 18th century Spanish ship that sank in 1784. It was discovered in 1993, and the coins from its massive silver cargo are historically significant. The brig was sent to Louisiana, then a Spanish colony, to stabilize the economy. The ship was loaded with many Pieces of Eight, (the silver reales, not Jack Sparrow’s beads!) and 400,000 silver pesos, as well as smaller coins of precious metal. When the ship left for New Orleans, she was never heard from again. This sinking influenced the course of history! And a coin from that ship is in a Mystery Box at the Mercantile!
Clues are out, and Tom has been listening to the chatter. Some have solved one or two of the clues, but to date no one has solved them all. There are three clues to go. They will be released at noon on June 9, 23 and July 7. KPro, Fox 8 and local stations will be on hand for that last clue, as will Yours Truly.
KPro has invited Tom to the next Seeking Treasure Con, in 2027. Our own guy, soon to be a Vegas legend! More communities are interested in organizing hunts of their own and have contacted Tom for suggestions and inspiration.
Tom is writing a book about this experience, called The Teasure Was Never the Treasure. It will be published by the Weekly Villager and will follow the whole story. Those who know Tom, know that he considers the town to be the treasure. It truly is!
You can follow Tom on Facebook at Fieldview Acres Mercantile. KPro is very busy and can be seen on YouTube.com/cowlazars, seekingtreasurecon.com and treasurehuntamusementpark.com. You can find listings of various treasure hunts going on at Treasure Hunt Data Base at treasurehuntdb.com. Good luck!
