A couple of friends were inspired to launch a serious hunt for the Golden Seashell worth $500 that was hidden somewhere in the county, and they found it yesterday.
“I’ve never looked for the hidden shell before, but some of my friends were doing it and it sounded like fun,” said Ashley Beck.
The contest started last month, and clues were posted in the Daily Journal every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The clues weren’t posted online, but lists were displayed at participating businesses.
It was at a participating company that the pair got the jump on other shell-seekers, because companies that display clues also post upcoming clues a day before they appear in the paper.
“Yesterday we went to Carolina Jewelry and Pawn to see the next clue a day early,” said Beck. “That’s when we knew right away where the seashell was hidden.”
The eleventh clue posted in the pawn shop was:
We could dig a hole to China where the Seashell
could not be found.
But instead of that we’ll think, South of the Border
and leave the Seashell on solid ground.
That clue would have been printed in today’s paper, but the ladies seized the opportunity for an early peek — and it paid off.
“We saw ‘China’ and ‘South of the Border,’ and we knew the shell was somewhere at Fiesta Brava,” said Robin Knight-Pierce. “Fiesta Brava, the Mexican restaurant, moved to the old Great China Buffet location.”
They headed immediately to Fiesta Brava, located on East Broad Avenue in Rockingham, and began beating the bushes — literally.
“We found it pretty fast in the bushes, near a stream, behind the restaurant,” said Beck.
When I hid the seashell, I was a little worried about snakes,” said Daily Journal publisher Rick Bacon. “I’m just glad no one got bit.”
The women said they’re excited to use the money to take their kids to the beach.
“My husband recently came through cancer treatments and is just able to get back to work,” said Knight-Pierce. “It’s been a tough couple of years, and I’m happy to be able to treat the kids to something special, and have a celebration.”
Had the shell not been found with the eleventh clue, the twelfth and final clue was designed to lead “shell hunters” right to the cash:
Great China Buffet was as Great as great could be.
They moved on out to make room for our friends
Fiesta Brava is the place to be.
“This was so much fun that I can’t wait to go out and hide the golden football,” said Bacon.
— Staff Writer Kelli Easterling can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 18, or by email at keasterling@heartlandpublications.com.
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