FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE:
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
BOB ROTATORI - 216-635-3263 - or -
OCTOBER 12,
2010
MARJORIE THOMAS - 216-635-3204
Cleveland Metroparks joins local park agencies to introduce
Questing, a new interactive recreational activity, to Northeast
Ohio. Visitors can join the fun through Monday, November 15 by
participating in 22 new adventures-called quests-in the Ohio &
Erie Canalway. Visitors can put on a sleuthing hat and follow
rhyming clues and a curious map to each hidden quest box. Along the
way, participants discover the area's treasures - the natural and
cultural gems of the Canalway area from Cleveland to Massillon.
Unlike geocaching, a GPS unit is not needed and trinkets are not
exchanged. Only a pen or pencil, and walking shoes are needed. When
a quest box is found, the participant collects its unique stamp,
signs its logbook, and then re-hides it for others. Some people
prefer using their own signature stamp and ink pad or marker to log
in, and collect quest stamps in their own journal.
Cleveland Metroparks Quest, Quest for What Moves You,
starts at CanalWayCenter in Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation and
leads the visitor through a series of interesting discoveries along
the Ohio & Erie Canal. Visitors not only learn about the flora
and fauna of the area, but also learn the history of the Canal.
The initial quests start this fall, but future questing seasons
will run April 15 through November 15, each year.
Cleveland Metroparks and its partners are modeling this project
on the successful Valley Quest program in New England.
The project began in March with a series of
two-day workshops led by national questing expert Steven Glazer,
who directed the Valley Quest program for 10 years and specializes
in connecting people with places. To date, more than 80 Northeast
Ohio teachers, volunteers, and park staff have been involved
in writing and field testing Canalway Quests.
Arrye Rosser, interpretive and education specialist at
CuyahogaValleyNational Park, manages the Canalway Questing project.
Rosser said, "I am thrilled with the results of this team
effort. Each quest has its own character, reflecting the
personalities of the quest writers and the special features of the
quest location. Among the series, there are quests for all ages and
abilities." Rosser has already started planning additional
quests for 2011.
For more information and to download quests, visit
clevelandmetroparks.com.
The Ohio & Erie Canalway celebrates the rails, trails,
landscapes, towns, and sites that grew up along the first 110 miles
of the canal that helped Ohio and our nation grow.
Discover the Ohio & Erie CanalWay's natural gems on a Canalway
Quest withCleveland Metroparks - part of your life,
naturally.
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