PLAY THE GAME

The Great Park Pursuit is a seven-week contest that has registered teams (with at least one adult 18 years or older and one child under 18) decoding clues, discovering parks and forests across the state and participating in fun activities and challenges – all for a chance to win fabulous prizes, including outdoor equipment packages. Unregistered teams are also welcome to attend and enjoy the events, though they will not be tracked for prize purposes.

Teams received No Child Left Inside^SM bracelets at the first event, which must be worn to each Great Park Pursuit event to ensure free admission to the venue. A clue was provided for teams to decode in order to determine the next game destination. Additional hints are posted to the website throughout the week to help teams figure out which park to visit next. On the Friday preceding the scheduled event, parks will be revealed on the website. At each park, teams will be asked to complete an activity – hike, fish, participate in a scavenger hunt and more. Teams will be awarded 10 points for each park visited.

Four of the parks in the game require attendance on specific Saturdays. To receive points for these "guided" events, teams must have at least one team member over 18 and one team member under 18 check-in anytime between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and participate in at least one activity.

Teams will check-in using a unique electronic check-in pass that will be assigned to them. These passes will be posted to teams' Follow the Families page and teams must print their pass in order to check-in to the guided events. Passes can be printed on standard copy paper using a normal computer printer.

One event in The Great Park Pursuit is a "semi-guided" event, meaning participation is required on either Saturday, June 7 or Sunday, June 8. There will be various options for locations, times and skill levels. Full details will be revealed in future clues and hints, and ultimately in the reveal on the preceding Friday. The proof of attendance for this "semi-guided" event will need to be turned in at the guided event on June 14.

The remaining two parks in the game are "self-guided" events, meaning families may visit these parks anytime before June 14. To earn points for self-guided parks, teams must complete the designated activity (to be described in a future clue) and present the required proof-of-visit by the second-to-last event. A copy of the team check-in pass must be stapled to all self- and semi-guided proof with the attending team members noted.

Game Schedule

• Park #1: Saturday, May 10 – guided event
• Park #2: Saturday, May 17 – suggested self-guided visitation date
• Park #3: Saturday, May 24 – suggested self-guided visitation date
• Park #4: Saturday, May 31 – guided event
• Park #5: Saturday, June 7 or Sunday, June 8 – semi-guided event dates
• Park #6: Saturday, June 14 – guided event
• Park #7: Saturday, June 21* – guided event
  *optional campout to stay overnight through June 22

There will also be one bonus visitation spot: the Henry Whitfield State Museum located at 248 Old Whitfield Street in Guilford (http://www.cultureandtourism.org). Teams are encouraged to visit this National Historic Landmark and travel back into 17th century Connecticut. Knowledge of the past could help with the present game (wink, wink!).

Complete tasks at all seven parks and your team will be deemed semi-finalists, eligible for a chance to win one of three grand prizes. Semi-finalists will be required to take a challenge related to what they have learned throughout the game, and top scorers will be required to complete a final activity to determine prize winners.

Good luck and have fun!

Read the official rules here.