50 teams scour city for hidden treasure in bid to 'Light up Seattle'
SEATTLE -- It may just be one of the more memorable scavenger hunts in Seattle's History.
Since mid-October, brothers Mark and Brian Canlis have been leaving clues around Seattle that lead to lavish dinners at their restaurant started by their grandfather in 1950.
As part of the Canlis restaurant's 60th birthday celebration, the brothers created a mouthwatering contest for Seattle trivia and history buffs that would culminate in a grand prize that had to be given away. The prize: Dinner for two at Canlis, once a year, for the life of the winner.
But because the Canlis brothers want to encourage philanthropy, the winner had to give away the dinner-for-life to someone who has helped the less fortunate. Each year the winner would decide who would be the recipient of that dinner.
But there was something for the contestants as well
Flash back to October: The Canlis Brothers start a contest. Every day, for 50 straight days, the brothers send out a clue via Facebook and Twitter, to the location of a Canlis menu from 1950. The menu is hidden somewhere in Seattle.
Some were easy to find, others not so easy. Locations ranged from Bruce Lee's grave site to an obscure copy of Time Magazine in the 7th floor of Seattle's downtown public library. All the clues were witty and related to Seattle's history.
Find the menu, and you got dinner for two at Canlis at 1950's prices. Canlis is not cheap. It's considered one of the finest restaurants in Seattle. Back in 1950, a filet Mignon was $3.85. Now it's $48.00.
All 50 menus were found, but then came part two.
On New Year's Eve, the 50 menu winners, some in costumes relating to the clues they found, gathered at the restaurant on the eastern edge of Queen Anne Hill in a race for the grand prize.
Everyone knew the rules. If they found the grand prize they had to give it away, but that didn't stop the enthusiasm. Each winner was allow two others on the ground to solve the clues. And they were allowed to have as much support as possible via cell phone and internet.
Each team was given five clues to solve. For example, one of the clues was "Runaway Elf Inside". The clever teams figured out that the first letter of each word spelled out "REI."
Inside Seattle downtown REI was Alison Kramer, Canlis' dining room manager dress as an elf. Whenever she saw a contestant heading her way, she'd run away until they caught her. She'd then give them a sticker and sent them off to the next clue.
Once a team had received all five stickers, they were given the final clue. The smart ones figured out it was Gas Works Park in Seattle.
And there they found people wandering around in black T-shirts with letters on the back. If a contestant asked, a person wearing a shirt told them a number. For about half hour, at least six teams that made it to the park noodle with their friends on cell phones trying to decipher what it all meant.
It related to a poem written by the Canlis brothers that made up the final clue. The last three words of the poem were "light up Seattle", a phrase that will be the 2011 mantra for philanthropic campaign by the Canlis family.
Greg Barnes and his team "Teriyaki Donut" figured it out. If put in the right order, the letters on the back of the T-shirts spelled out "light up Seattle" and when matched with numbers given out by those wearing the T-shirt, the numbers spelled out a GPS coordinate.
Barnes and his team found a small "X" in the grass at the correct GPS coordinate and started digging with their hands. Barnes found a muddy envelope. Inside, a Canlis platinum card with the words "Dinner for Life." Barnes knew he had to give away one of the cards but to his surprise, there was not one but two cards in the envelope. He was allowed to keep the other for himself.
" 'Light up Seattle,' that's our battle cry for next year," says Brian Canlis. "We want to ignite people's hearts for generosity."
Part of the Canlis's campaign of generosity is a matching pledge program. Anyone buying a Canlis gift certificate for a donation to a non-profit, Canlis will double the value of the certificate. So if you buy a $500 gift certificate, Canlis will match it and make it $1,000 if it's going to be used as donation to a non-profit donation. The Canlis brothers have pledged to match the first $500,000 of gift certificates.
The 5 Clues
Here are the 5 clues that contestants had to solve, as posted on Canlis' Facebook page:
1. Runaway Elf Inside (had to find someone in elf costume running around REI)
2. Uphill from Harrison a home you will find, where benevolence and charity are still top of mind. (at the current site of Seattle's first charity, Seattle Children's Home)
3. Two many rooms, and Elizabeth sent the youngest students home. (downtown Seattle, at the site of the first public school house)
4. In the shadow of sisters with full hearts displayed, King County's first refuge for the body betrayed. Two options before you, but history will show,
Downtown is too north, now hurry and go! (at the site the first county hospital, in Georgetown)
5. For Ferdinand's gift, our spirits (and eyes) lift. (at Schmitz park in West Seattle)
Once teams had been to all five locations, they were given the final clue:
In '73, o'er a century ago
One New Year's Eve lit the city aglow.
Fuel then came from coal, at hilly park yonder.
...But, could giving ignite us? Something to ponder.
Our challenge today: Make the city shine brightly,
Make it known for its giving - don't take the task lightly!
You can't do it alone - this generosity that'll
Bring us together and Light up Seattle.
Which led them to Gasworks Park. There, about 50 volunteers (Including KOMO's Matt Markovich) dressed in black T-shirts which giant white letters on the back were wandering everywhere.
Each walking letter was only allowed to share a specific number. When you spelled out LIGHT UP SEATTLE, the corresponding numbers gave the latitude/longitude coordinates for the exact spot where the Dinner for Life Card was buried.
Since mid-October, brothers Mark and Brian Canlis have been leaving clues around Seattle that lead to lavish dinners at their restaurant started by their grandfather in 1950.
As part of the Canlis restaurant's 60th birthday celebration, the brothers created a mouthwatering contest for Seattle trivia and history buffs that would culminate in a grand prize that had to be given away. The prize: Dinner for two at Canlis, once a year, for the life of the winner.
But because the Canlis brothers want to encourage philanthropy, the winner had to give away the dinner-for-life to someone who has helped the less fortunate. Each year the winner would decide who would be the recipient of that dinner.
But there was something for the contestants as well
Flash back to October: The Canlis Brothers start a contest. Every day, for 50 straight days, the brothers send out a clue via Facebook and Twitter, to the location of a Canlis menu from 1950. The menu is hidden somewhere in Seattle.
Some were easy to find, others not so easy. Locations ranged from Bruce Lee's grave site to an obscure copy of Time Magazine in the 7th floor of Seattle's downtown public library. All the clues were witty and related to Seattle's history.
Find the menu, and you got dinner for two at Canlis at 1950's prices. Canlis is not cheap. It's considered one of the finest restaurants in Seattle. Back in 1950, a filet Mignon was $3.85. Now it's $48.00.
All 50 menus were found, but then came part two.
On New Year's Eve, the 50 menu winners, some in costumes relating to the clues they found, gathered at the restaurant on the eastern edge of Queen Anne Hill in a race for the grand prize.
Everyone knew the rules. If they found the grand prize they had to give it away, but that didn't stop the enthusiasm. Each winner was allow two others on the ground to solve the clues. And they were allowed to have as much support as possible via cell phone and internet.
Each team was given five clues to solve. For example, one of the clues was "Runaway Elf Inside". The clever teams figured out that the first letter of each word spelled out "REI."
Inside Seattle downtown REI was Alison Kramer, Canlis' dining room manager dress as an elf. Whenever she saw a contestant heading her way, she'd run away until they caught her. She'd then give them a sticker and sent them off to the next clue.
Once a team had received all five stickers, they were given the final clue. The smart ones figured out it was Gas Works Park in Seattle.
And there they found people wandering around in black T-shirts with letters on the back. If a contestant asked, a person wearing a shirt told them a number. For about half hour, at least six teams that made it to the park noodle with their friends on cell phones trying to decipher what it all meant.
It related to a poem written by the Canlis brothers that made up the final clue. The last three words of the poem were "light up Seattle", a phrase that will be the 2011 mantra for philanthropic campaign by the Canlis family.
Greg Barnes and his team "Teriyaki Donut" figured it out. If put in the right order, the letters on the back of the T-shirts spelled out "light up Seattle" and when matched with numbers given out by those wearing the T-shirt, the numbers spelled out a GPS coordinate.
Barnes and his team found a small "X" in the grass at the correct GPS coordinate and started digging with their hands. Barnes found a muddy envelope. Inside, a Canlis platinum card with the words "Dinner for Life." Barnes knew he had to give away one of the cards but to his surprise, there was not one but two cards in the envelope. He was allowed to keep the other for himself.
" 'Light up Seattle,' that's our battle cry for next year," says Brian Canlis. "We want to ignite people's hearts for generosity."
Part of the Canlis's campaign of generosity is a matching pledge program. Anyone buying a Canlis gift certificate for a donation to a non-profit, Canlis will double the value of the certificate. So if you buy a $500 gift certificate, Canlis will match it and make it $1,000 if it's going to be used as donation to a non-profit donation. The Canlis brothers have pledged to match the first $500,000 of gift certificates.
The 5 Clues
Here are the 5 clues that contestants had to solve, as posted on Canlis' Facebook page:
1. Runaway Elf Inside (had to find someone in elf costume running around REI)
2. Uphill from Harrison a home you will find, where benevolence and charity are still top of mind. (at the current site of Seattle's first charity, Seattle Children's Home)
3. Two many rooms, and Elizabeth sent the youngest students home. (downtown Seattle, at the site of the first public school house)
4. In the shadow of sisters with full hearts displayed, King County's first refuge for the body betrayed. Two options before you, but history will show,
Downtown is too north, now hurry and go! (at the site the first county hospital, in Georgetown)
5. For Ferdinand's gift, our spirits (and eyes) lift. (at Schmitz park in West Seattle)
Once teams had been to all five locations, they were given the final clue:
In '73, o'er a century ago
One New Year's Eve lit the city aglow.
Fuel then came from coal, at hilly park yonder.
...But, could giving ignite us? Something to ponder.
Our challenge today: Make the city shine brightly,
Make it known for its giving - don't take the task lightly!
You can't do it alone - this generosity that'll
Bring us together and Light up Seattle.
Which led them to Gasworks Park. There, about 50 volunteers (Including KOMO's Matt Markovich) dressed in black T-shirts which giant white letters on the back were wandering everywhere.
Each walking letter was only allowed to share a specific number. When you spelled out LIGHT UP SEATTLE, the corresponding numbers gave the latitude/longitude coordinates for the exact spot where the Dinner for Life Card was buried.
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