The Multnomah Spring Training Treasure (the first of four county hunts) was found this morning, not long after the fourth Clue was posted. The idea of this new hunt (part of the Portland Rose Festival hunt program) was to encourage fledglings to jump in and try their hand at finding treasure, plus building up the amount of people who actually get out there to give it a go. So it was a delight to discover that today's winner was eight-year-old Simone Luzania, hunting with her mother Kelly.
Neither Simone nor Kelly could suppress their excitement during the phone interview. They were still at Mt. Tabor park, getting ready to hurry Simone off to class at Winterhaven Elementary School (a K-8, which is currently a hybrid school operating from 1:00 to 3:15 daily), where she is a second-grader. Time for a pretty big 'show and tell' for certain!
Both Simone and Kelly are huge Rose Festival supporters. Simone spoke of CityFair and riding the rides, and both talked about the Starlight Parade. Kelly mentioned that she knew Jim Neill (a former Board Member who has passed on) and his wife Katy -- who were the parents of Queen Erin, who served on her court in 1990 (and who just happens to be celebrating her birthday today). When it comes to Rose Festival, it's a small and cozy world.
Simone was excited to receive her Voodoo Doughnut gift certificate (a special prize to the winner) and go pick out her favorite treats. She was already wearing the exclusive Rose Festival Hope pin (generously donated by Ramsay Signs) that she found in the small canister hidden in Mt. Tabor park. In addition, Simone will receive a special 2022 CityFair package which includes entrance to the park, and 20 free ride tickets.
Wrapping up this happy news, Simone's entire family will be receiving Hope rose pins!
And we're only a few days away from the next Spring Training Treasure Hunt! So spread the word and get ready to give it a try.