Land ho! There be treasure in these parts. Downtown Boothbay Harbor has become the locale for a multi-stage pirate treasure hunt hosted by the non-profit organization Lighthouse Education and Nautical Studies (LENS) to raise money for experiential learning opportunities for kids in the Alternative Organizational Structure 98 school system. The event will run until Sept. 30.     

LENS has sponsored summer camps on Burnt Island for the past three years, but founder Elaine Jones said the raised funds will also be used to visit other regional spots.  

The hunt officially kicked off during Windjammer Days, and Jones said the experience has been a great success, with 56 groups having participated and $800 raised at the time of writing. “I think it's going to take off. I really can see it as a destination for tourism.”  

For a donation of $10, participants receive an online clue to unlock a treasure map and must decode riddles to identify seven walkable stations in Boothbay Harbor. Each location has a different surprise, such as information about some of the real-life swashbucklers who visited local shores, pirate jokes, and pirate yoga poses. Kids also get to unlock a mini treasure chest and stamp their map with a unique design for each place. A commemorative pirate t-shirt is available for $20 at Coastal Maine Popcorn.    

“Usually, we find ourselves doing a lot of the same things every year, so it was really fun having a new activity to do with the kids,” wrote Sarah Closson in an email to the Register. Closson lives in Texas and visits family in the region annually.    

Her three children, Wyatt (7), Grant (7) and Hannah (5), along with their two cousins, all participated in the hunt. Closson praised the difficulty of the riddles as straightforward enough for people familiar with the area, but not too easy, and also highlighted the treasure chests as the kids’ favorite aspect.      

“I have to admit I even enjoyed doing the hunt as an adult!” she wrote.   

Jones hopes to expand her offerings to include an adult-oriented quest, but she’s happy with the support she’s received from local businesses to make the current event possible. This is partly why she hopes the treasure hunt gains traction to become an economic stimulant.    

“(The hunt) brings people into these different shops that they never knew existed,” she explained.    

Closson echoed the sentiment, saying many purchases were made along the way.    

Multiple drawings will be held in early October for lucky participants to receive one of several grand prizes: a Jamie Wyeth crystal-etched pirate ship plate with a certificate of authenticity, a three-night stay at a Lafayette Hotel, a one-night stay at Brown's Wharf, a trip on a Balmy Days Cruise, Boothbay Harbor apparel from the Smiling Cow, or a popcorn tin from Coastal Maine Popcorn.   

Registration can be found on the Lighthouse Education and Nautical Studies website. For more information, follow Boothbay Harbor Treasure Hunt on Facebook.