Mrs. Teabody Chronicles the Great Turtle Hunt of 2021

 

 Turtles in search of a home.

They were spotted first in a retail establishment in Selinsgrove by a Fulton Countian, Donna House, who found room in her heart for the six fuzzy, lovable turtles and brought them home. Jealousy quickly raised its unattractive head in the body of Mr. Tom, the resident feline favorite at Donna's house, and she found she must quickly find the squishy group suitable and loving homes. That is when she contacted me, Mrs. Teabody. I was immediately struck by their likeness to the turtle appearing in all our ads for Cocoa Crawl 2021.

"Can you help me find homes for them?" she pleaded. "Good homes."

An idea began to form in my head. What if we made these delightful creatures a part of the upcoming Cocoa Crawl? What if the six fuzzy reptiles became part of a hunt? "That's it!" I shrieked. "We shall hold a Great Turtle Hunt knowing that those people  who search the hardest will actually WANT to provide homes for the little creatures." And with that, the Great Turtle Hunt of 2021 was born.

Just a few weeks later 150+ of Fulton County's most fun-loving citizens took to the frosty streets of McChristmasburg ( formerly McConnellsburg) on Saturday, November 27. Their goal: support small business and sample delectable varieties of cocoa. At registration, they were told of the side adventure of the Great Turtle Hunt. The first six contestants to find all six turtles would  have the chance to win  an adorable furry companion. The game was afoot. And who were the successful hunters? Read on.

Alex Celestine poses with Flora the Frost Fairy

The youngest of the successful hunters is  4 year-old Alexander Thomas Celestine of Wilkes Barre who has named his turtle Alex Thomasander. Alex was doing the Crawl with grandmother Jackie Celestine.  Needless to say, this two year veteran of the Crawl had a magical time and he had some very good advice for anyone participating in the future: "Keep your eyes open and be ready to have big fun."

Lilly Fraker keeps a loving grip on Harold

Eight year-old Lilly Fraker took to the hunt with enthusiasm and determination and an absolute joy in collecting soft, lovable friends. Her strategy for finding the turtles was "to keep a sharp lookout". Lilly has a love for stuffed animals and feels you can never have too many.  She got a kick out of the Crawl and carried the day with winning high spirits alongside her mom, Corryn Fraker. Lilly saw her height as a distinct advantage on the hunt, and she assured everyone that Harold will have a jolly home.

Janet (Fleming) Sipes holds onto her latest fuzzy friend

Janet Sipes is a familiar face in McChristmasburg and as a long-term employee at Lake Insurance she takes pride in her support for local efforts to raise awareness of community resources when she has a chance.  Janet is from Hustontown and enjoyed the first Cocoa Crawl and looked forward to her second. When she was told about the Great Turtle Hunt, she was immediately intrigued. "I like a challenge. I was determined to find them," she said. 

"It was a really good chance to get inside businesses in town. What a great surprise to find places I didn't know about." In fact five of the stops for the Crawl were brand new businesses. "They're all really good," she said. "People have no idea what they're missing by not giving local businesses a chance." When asked if there was any new business she would recommend, she did not hesitate to say, "All of them. Go see them."

One final thing she wants to recommend is a visit to the Fulton County Historical Society Annex: "Everything is beautifully displayed. It is all very well done. Anyone who visits would be proud to learn the County history. And it could not have been any prettier with all the trees."

Linda Black had no trouble finding the  clever turtles

On the first Cocoa Crawl, Linda Black did the cocoa tour with her sister Brendy but this time sister Sandra came along to step up the fun. The sisters do lots of things together and they knew they would be a formidable team and they were. "I'm pretty observant claims Linda who said the most challenging find for her was at Clugston's. "He was very well hidden". Her most pleasant surprise was visiting Abbott's: "What a great place. I had no idea it was there. I'll definitely be back. So many cute places."

Charlie appreciated  all the good cocoa recipes

  Teen Charlie Gabriel was visiting his dad when his step mom persuaded him to go along with her on the Cocoa Crawl. "Let's go do this. You love chocolate." That's how this young man found himself ducking inside local shops and storefronts to see what was inside and get to know what the town has to offer. "It was such a fun event. I really liked seeing our whole town come together to have a good time. It definitely got me into the Christmas spirit."  Having a quest of looking for a turtle just added to the fun of trying new cocoa flavors.  "I was amazed by how much thought and preparation went into all the recipes. Each business went out of their way to create something." His step mom added that she'd no idea about there being a new aesthetician  in "town" and she is ready to re-visit all the places she got to know on the Crawl.

Ashley Shotts of Knobsville had no problem finding the turtles. "I was with my aunt, my cousin and my sister-in law. We were a good team. " This was Ashley's first year on the Crawl and she said that with two kids, her turtle would get lots of love. Unfortunately, Ashley was a little camera shy, but she was definitely good at turtle hunting and finding.

So the Great Turtle Hunt came to an end with not one single drop of blood shed. Six turtles found new homes where they will be loved and cared for.  And even those hunters who did not go home with a turtle were happy to have a chance to explore their town a little more and to run into people they haven't seen in a while. A wonderful start to the festive season all tied up in a happy ending. I'm smiling. Maybe you are, too?

Merry Christmas!