Provided by Denise Heikkinen Dejlah Mezeel, part of the Elaine Bacon Literacy Program hunt team, crouches near a clue for the Parade of Nations scavenger hunt.

The scavenger hunt replacing the 2020 Parade of Nations events is off to as smooth a start as can be hoped for a first-time event, but so far nobody has solved all nine hunts and claimed first prize.

“Things are going well,” organizer Will Schuett said. “We’re seeing quite a few people going through the activity.”

Denise Heikkinen and the Elaine Bacon Literacy Program hunt team started out right away on Saturday, and again on Sunday, too.

“Some of the boxes have been hard to find, but most were easy,” Heikkinen said in an email.

She said that some require close reading of the details, and one clue was high enough that they had to ask a taller passerby for assistance, despite having a stool ready.

They’ve also taken the chance to see art exhibits and other attractions around Hancock and Houghton while they’re out searching.

Heikkinen says they’ve solved six of the nine hunts as of Tuesday morning, and think they know where the rest are.

Teams with problems can email the scavenger hunt staff at paradeofnations@mtu.edu. Schuett said they’ve received several emails about lost or missing clues. When this happens, they send out a team to confirm whether or not the clue is still in the proper spot. Only one clue has actually gone missing, for about an hour, according to Schuett. It may have been taken, or it could have been the wind.

“We had to change the location so it was a little more secure,” he said.

Judging by the number of QR-code scans, Schuett thinks there are around 20 teams participating.

The initial clues, as well as the answer submission form required to win the prizes, are available at https://www.mtu.edu/international/events/parade-nations.

The Elaine Bacon Literacy Program is a volunteer organization that teaches English to people who have moved from other countries.