Arts, Dining & Entertainment

Find Waldo in Rutland

By William Murphy, courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

A world record attempt to become the largest gathering of “Where’s Waldo” Wallys was held in 2011 in Dublin, Ireland. Find Waldo in Rutland July 1-30!

RUTLAND — “Where’s Waldo?” In Rutland, of course! The famous children’s book character in the striped shirt and black-rimmed specs is visiting 25 local businesses throughout our community this July 1-30. “Find Waldo in Rutland” is a summer vacation activity and a way to support local businesses and the shop local movement in our community. Organizations taking part in “Find Waldo in Rutland” include:

Pure Original, 22 Center St.

Boys and Girls Club, 71 Merchants Row

Timco Jewelers, 59 Center St.

Rutland Optical, 28 Center St.

Wonderfeet Kids Museum, 11 Center St.

Slightly Off Center, 146 West St.

Rutland Area Food Co-op, 77 Wales St.

Handcarved by Ernie, 26 Center St.

Tattersall’s Clothing Emporium, 96 Merchant’s Row

Frogs and Lily Pads, 25 Center St.

Vermont Truffle Company, 37 Center St.

Hawley’s Florist, 29 Center St.

Bookmobile, 58 Merchants Row

Small Dog Electronics, 116 West St.

Fruition, 56 Merchants Row

Rutland Chamber of Commerce, 50 Merchants Row

The Bakery, 122 West St.

Pyramid Holistic Wellness Center, 120 Merchants Row

Clay’s, 67 Merchants Row

Raw Honey Apparel, 5 Center St.

McNeil Reedy, 81 Merchants Row

Castleton Downtown Gallery, Center St. Alley

Avanti Unisex Hair Salon, 52 Center St.

Rutland Free Library, 10 Court St.

Phoenix Books Rutland, 2 Center St.

Anyone who wishes to participate can pick up a “Find Waldo Local in Rutland!” passport, which contains the names of all the participating sites and get their passport stamped or signed for each Waldo they spot. Collecting store stamps or signatures at twenty or more businesses will entitle diligent seekers to enter a grand-prize drawing on July 30, with the top prize being a six-volume deluxe set of Waldo books. This year, participants can also #ColorWaldoAndWin: when they share a completed coloring sheet of Waldo on Instagram, they’ll be entered into a drawing to be one of five lucky winners of a deluxe prize pack.

Waldo is the creation of Martin Handford, whose entertaining drawings of crowd scenes swept the world in the late eighties. Since then, the “Where’s Waldo?” books have held a cherished spot on bookstore shelves the world over. There are now over 65 million “Waldo” books in print worldwide, and they’ve been translated into over thirty languages. An entire generation has grown up searching for Waldo and his cast of wandering companions.

In celebration of Waldo’s longevity and popularity, his American publisher, Candlewick Press, is once again teaming up with the American Booksellers Association and 250 independent bookstores across the country for some hide-and-seek fun to encourage communities to patronize their local businesses. There is no charge to participate, in the hunt  July 1-30. For info, call 802-855-8078.

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