Courtesy of Phoenix Books Rutland
An excited youngster displays “Waldo,” found in Rutland, gaining her a stamp on her passport.
Saturday, July 30 at 2 p.m.—RUTLAND—“ Find Waldo ” in Rutland continues through July 30. Phoenix Books employees have stamped lots of passports, and the first entry for the grand prize—from a participant who had found Waldo at 24 local businesses—rolled in already on July 6. Whether entered in the grand prize drawing or not, everyone is invited to the “Find Waldo” grand celebration on July 30 at 2 p.m. at Phoenix Books Rutland. Attendees will get to participate in “Waldo”-themed activities and meet “Waldo” himself!
The famous children’s book character in the striped shirt and black-rimmed specs has been visiting local businesses throughout the Rutland community since July 1.
From the first few days in July, Phoenix Books Rutland has been visited by lots of children coming in holding “Find Waldo” passports, said bookseller Lynn Silloway, and many of the “Waldo” hunters had already spotted the character in other stores. “We let each child who found ‘Waldo’ hide it in a new location for the next seeker,” says Silloway. “The kids were very excited to be asked to hide him.”
“It seems that everyone is enjoying it, and I also find it fun because I never know where the Waldo will be the next time I come into work,” added fellow bookseller Kaitlin Hodges.
There’s still time to participate. Participants can pick up a “Find Waldo” Local in Rutland passport, which contains the names of all the participating sites, and get the passport stamped or signed for each “Waldo” spotted. Collect store stamps or signatures at 20 or more businesses to gain entry into a grand-prize drawing at the grand celebration, with the top prize being a six-volume deluxe set of “Waldo” books. This year, participants can also #ColorWaldoAndWin. Share a completed coloring sheet of “Waldo” on Instagram to be entered into a drawing to be one of five lucky winners of a deluxe prize pack.
“Waldo” is the creation of Martin Handford, whose entertaining drawings of crowd scenes swept the world in the late 1980s. Since then, the “Where’s Waldo?” books have held a cherished spot on bookstore shelves the world over. There are now over 65 million “Waldo” books in print worldwide, and they’ve been translated into over 30 languages. An entire generation has grown up searching for “Waldo” and his cast of wandering companions.
Both “Find Waldo” in Rutland and the grand celebration are free and open to all.
For more information, stop by Phoenix Books Rutland at 2 Center Street, call 802-855-8078 or visit phoenixbooks.biz.
