Downtown Treasure Hunt a Big Hit(s)

The first clue was pretty easy.

Then it started getting harder.

That wasn't going to stop the 40-50 people who signed up Thursday during the Hot Harvest Farmers' Market on Laurel Street.

After all, this was like a scavenger hunt, only you don't really have to bring in the actual items. They're all going to be stored on your phone in the form of photos.

The San Carlos Chamber of Commerce sponsored Social Media Day treasure hunt hit the ground running, officially kicking off a week's worth of clues leading up to this Thursday's grand finale.

All you need is a phone capable of taking pictures, a twitter account and an Instagram account. It would also be advisable to know a little bit about downtown San Carlos, though that's not necessary if you have a knack for solving clues.

"We started late last year and really didn't get the word out," San Carlos Chamber of Commerce Chair of Marketing Melanie Yunk said while manning the "Social Media Day 2012" booth in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce. "This time we started earlier and this is just the beginning."

There's always time to join in, all the way up to this Thursday's 7 p.m. deadline, when results will be tabulated directly off the contestants' phone. Participants need to bring their phone to the Social Media Day booth before the deadline to determine eligibility.

All clues are released through the twitter account, @SanCarlosBiz. The first three clues were announced on June 21, and the final three clues will be released during Hot Harvest Nights on June 28. The treasure hunt can be shared (and followed) by using the hashtags #HHN and #SMDay.

Another clue was released Friday, with three more clues to be released over the next three days. The prize drawing will be held at 7:15 p.m. in the downtown Laurel Street Park.

"All you have to do is show up Thursday with at least five of the clues solved," Yunk said. "You can start Thursday if you are daring enough."

The clues are designed to lead you to a downtown business to take a picture of a certain item in the establishment. By solving five or more clues, and completing the final tweet at the booth, and posting the correct images to Instragram, you are entered into the main prize drawing.

Solve 10 clues, post the correct images to Instragram and complete the final tweet and you're entered into into both the Grand Prize drawing and the Main Prize drawing. There is a limit of one (1) entry per person for each drawing.

There's also a bunch of legal rules involved which can be found on the San Carlos (Calif.) Chamber of Commerce website. You can also find a list of prizes on the website.

The purpose of the event is to create awareness for Social Media Day, which actually occurs on June 30 worldwide, and how social media has changed our daily lives and the way we communicate.

The San Carlos City Council made an official proclamation that June 30 is Social Media Day in the city.

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