There’s a bear hunt underway in downtown Naperville, thanks to a seasonal search set up by the Downtown Naperville Alliance.
“Every year we pick a different character that we hide in our store windows. So it might be in the store window, or it might be cleverly disguised inside the store. So there’s about 50 downtown businesses participating this year,” said Interim Executive Director of the Downtown Naperville Alliance Katie Wood.
Search for George the bear
Each location will have a stuffed bear for kids to find…sporting a name that’s treasured by many in Naperville.
“We named him George. Actually, the community voted, and they chose George after our beloved former mayor, George Pradel, which I think was just a wonderful choice,” said Wood.
Find enough bears, get a chance to win a prize
George the bear is easily identified by his seasonal plaid bow tie. The businesses where he’s hiding are listed on the downtown Naperville website…and as you go on your hunt, you can track your finds for a chance to win a prize.
“You print out the scavenger hunt form and if you find 20 or more, you can submit your scavenger hunt form and we’re going to be giving away downtown Naperville gift cards after the first of the year,” said Wood.
Entries must be submitted to the Downtown Naperville Alliance by New Year’s Eve.
Bear theme carried on into downtown decor
And as you stroll down the streets of downtown Naperville in search of bears, you may notice some painted on local business windows, as a carryover of this year’s scavenger hunt theme. They can be found on 15 different storefronts – check out the list of which ones on the downtown Naperville website.
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