Real Life Treasure Hunt LLC will be hosting a small-business treasure hunt in Becker, Big Lake, Buffalo, Elk River, and Monticello today (Dec. 19) starting at 10 a.m. It will be a scavenger hunt, with participants getting their first clue via the Real Life Treasure Hunt LLC Facebook page. 

After receiving the first clue, participants will need to visit the small business hinted at in the clue, then make a purchase there. After making the purchase, the business will provide the clue to find the next prize. Prizes include free registration for another treasure hunt offered by the company, and real, pure silver.

The group/individual who solves all the clues will get to take home the prize cache, which will include 10 Troy ounces of silver. 

The treasure hunt will lead sleuths around the area to different businesses which have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The hunt will begin in Buffalo and end in Elk River. At the end of the hunt, participants will find the owners of Real Life Treasure Hunt LLC guarding the cash. They will then present all the riddles they collected and all of the receipts from the purchases made in order to win the cache.

Jake Petersen and a friend started Real Life Treasure Hunt after trying to find treasure with metal detectors. They didn’t find anything, and their kids got bored after a while. So they thought it would be fun to create a company that organized real treasure hunts with real silver treasure. 

“This pandemic and its restrictions have caused a lot of local businesses… to really suffer,” Petersen said. 

So his wife came up with the idea to hold a treasure hunt to help support those businesses.

The event is open to everyone. To get the first clue, visit Facebook.com/RealLifeTreasureHuntLLC.