There will be a little extra magic in downtown Seward this year with the first-ever winter Great Folly Hunt during the Christmas Festival.
Tom Van Steenhoven moved to Seward nine years ago and decided to create an adventure out of something unique about the town.
In 1868, William Henry Seward, Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State at the time, facilitated the purchase of Alaska for $7 million. His detractors called this ridiculous, because they thought Alaska was just cold and empty. People printed newspaper cartoons of him and referred to the purchase as “Seward’s folly.”
Later, Americans realized how important and cost-efficient the purchase was.
In his research, Van Steenhoven discovered that Seward also helped establish the Transcontinental Railroad, was part of the Underground Railroad, started the process of buying the Danish West Indies and survived an assassination attempt by someone who opposed his abolitionist views.
Liberty House owner and local historian Pat Coldiron told Van Steenhoven she wanted to hide something around town to help educate people about Seward’s history, its namesake and the tall grass prairie. Van Steenhoven, who previously worked in advertising, presented the idea of a mythical Seward Folly story.
He decided the Follys would be small birds, which fit the silly, flight of fancy theme of the project and can live in a tall grass prairie. The Folly is said to have gone extinct the year that Seward was founded, but was rediscovered over 150 years later in Seward in 2023. Van Steenhoven’s wife handcrafted six of them.
Court Croghan, another Folly Hunt organizer, said many towns have adventure options like treasure and ghost stories, and the hunt organizers wanted to create something mythical and fun for people to do in Seward.
Beginning in 2023, the Seward Discovery Group Folly Division hid Follys in engaging spots around town and planted yard signs with QR codes. The codes took people to facts and photographs related to the area.
Clever, difficult-to-solve clues led participants to the Follys all summer.
“Figuring out the clue and finding it really seems to delight people,” Van Steenhoven said. “All the people who found them just really enjoyed having something to do at night or in the afternoon that wasn’t watching TV or being on your phone. Wandering around Seward and trying to figure out these clues, they really, really had a good time.”
Throughout the warmer months, several Seward businesses sell Folly hunting licenses, increasing traffic to local retailers.
Van Steenhoven said the Seward Chamber of Commerce wanted to keep people downtown during the times of the Christmas Festival when there are no activities planned. A first-ever Folly Hunt during the winter was the perfect solution.
The Winter Folly Hunt will kick off on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 10 a.m.
“Hopefully, it’ll drive more people to the local businesses, and they’ll be able to kind of capitalize on that,” Croghan said. “Maybe, they’ll buy a couple Christmas gifts while they’re out looking for Follys.”
Olde Glory Theatre will host a waffle feed from 8-10 a.m. Van Stenhoven wrote a script about the Christmas Follys starring two fictional characters, Percival Von Finch and Scotch McFolly, that actors will perform at the feed to get people excited for the hunt. Then, all who want to participate can get their QR codes with the clues.
Codes will also be available at participating retailers.
“We wanted to keep people downtown, so they don’t have to go home and then come back for the parade,” Van Steenhoven said. “They can stay downtown and have a good time all afternoon.”
Croghan used AI tools to create a Christmas song full of clues for the Winter Folly Hunt. The clues will lead participants to various retailers in Seward. Croghan said the make of the hunt enjoyed being creative as they designed the script for the play and clues for the Follys.
“We’re going to let the retailers hide them,” Van Steenhoven said. “Will they hide them hard or easy? I don’t know.”
The six holiday Follys sport scarves and Christmas trees and have Christmas-related names to fit the season’s theme. Hunting licenses are not necessary for the winter Folly.
People who find all the Follys by 4 p.m. can enter their names in a drawing for a $25 gift certificate prize that is valid at any Seward chamber business. People who want to take the hunt at a slower pace can continue their search until Christmas Eve and put their names in a second drawing for the same prize on Christmas.
Croghan said he hopes people enjoy having something extra to do during the Christmas Festival.
“The fun part will be, if you can figure out what their lyrics and their clues are, you can run around the whole afternoon between Santa and the parade, look at the stores and find the Follys,” he said.
