***This article was written by Joey Drawyer, a participant of The Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.
Saturday night, area residents had the opportunity to play a game of hide and seek with Kewanee’s police officers.
The Hide and Seek from the Police event was from 8 to 10 p.m. and was open to people of all ages. Each participant was given a complimentary T-shirt that resembled an orange prison uniform. At the end of the hunt, participants were welcomed to an afterparty at Timeout Pub & Grub where awards for winners in different categories were announced.
The boundaries of the game extended from West Third Street to West Central Boulevard and from Main Street to Lexington Avenue. Participants were required to stay inside the boundaries, and could not enter private lawns or any building.
Fifty-one people joined, and those people needed to hide from 10 police officers that were on the hunt to find them. The game was organized by Taurean Bond, the owner of Timeout Pub & Grub, as well as Chief of Police Steve Kijanowski, Deputy Chief Michael Minx and City Clerk Kasey Mitchell. The purpose of the event was to introduce the community to the Kewanee Police Department and help citizens feel comfortable with the officers in town.
The event was also a fundraiser with the money raised going to the Kewanee Commission on Human Relations. Winners were judged on a variety of categories. Best makeup went to Liz Aman. The title of Ugliest Costume was won by Kim Aman, and Best Costume was won by Crystal Star.
The participants with the best hiding spot were Melissa Mallery and Courtney Rumbold. Brian McVicker was the most difficult hider to catch. Each winner received a trophy.
Three participants told The Kewanee Voice that they joined the game because they thought it would be a fun experience, although they admitted they weren’t good at hide and seek. They said they expected to stay hidden for at least 25 minutes, but they didn’t quite make it for that long.
But the night was fun, the three participants said, and they would love to do something else like it in the future.
Organizer Taurean Bond said that the night went smoothly, and everyone there had a great time. People outside of the event even came by and showed their support. Bond said that he was surprised by how much fun participants and officers had. The hiding spots many people chose were very creative, said Bond, and he looks forward to putting together another event like this one, possibly within the next year.
“It will be bigger and better,” said Bond.
