During the August meeting of IndieBound Naperville, Becky Anderson announced that 94 participants had entered the 2015 Where’s Waldo? contest. That means every player had found the storybook character hidden in at least 12 local independent businesses, completed an entry form and turned the entry into Anderson’s Bookshop in downtown Naperville.
For the fourth year, the popular Waldo character had been on the loose throughout the IndieBound-Naperville community all during July, hiding in a multitude of independently-owned businesses from one shopping destination to the next.
So just where was Waldo? His likeness was placed high and low inside many restaurants, retail shops and websites all throughout Naperville.
Above / All during July, Waldo was hiding high and prominently on a shelf in Heaven on Seven.
For the first time, “Where’s Waldo?” was featured in large letters on the outdoor message sign at Naper Auto Works at 320 N. Mill Street. Many kids noticed the sign and entered the independent service business to find the famous 28-year-old fellow in his red-and-white striped shirt and black-rimmed spectacles.
With a long list of participating merchants in hand, individuals who spotted him 12 times and keep track won bragging rights and prizes, including buttons and books. Plus, players who turned the list of 12 spots into Anderson’s became eligible to enter the drawing for even more prizes.
During the August meeting of IndieBound Naperville, all 94 entries were mixed up and 27 prize winners were selected.
The gift packages, provided by members of IndieBound Naperville, were comprised of “kid-friendly” items, books and gift certificates.
The 2015 prize winners are Abby Baldinger, Patrick Baldinger, Campbell Bastian, Jake Blackburn, Lilly Bree, Leah Dennison, Jamie Donenberg, Julia Donavan, Sean Griffin, Gretchen Kallstrand, Marissa Langnickel, Brett Lichter, Julie Majcher, Emma Meza, Kate Meza, Chloe O’Keefe, Mayo Osorio, Henry Robbins, Dina Sharon, Michelle Sungren, Sam Surma and Lily Thompson.
Why Waldo?
Waldo is the creation of Martin Handford, whose entertaining drawings of crowd scenes swept the world in 1987. Since then, the Where’s Waldo books have held a cherished spot on book shelves in children’s rooms and bookstores the world over. More than 55 million Waldo books are in print worldwide and they’ve been translated into 18 languages. An entire generation has grown up searching for Waldo and his cast of wandering companions.
Finding Waldo is a popular activity that now spans generations.
In celebration of Waldo’s longevity and popularity, his American publisher, Candlewick Press, decided to team up with the American Booksellers Association and 250 independent bookstores all across the country, including Anderson’s Bookshop here in Naperville, to have fun and encourage people to visit local independent businesses.
Look for red IndieBound Naperville signs
IndieBound Naperville meets monthly on the first Monday at Kreger’s Brat and Sausage Haus. Independent business owners and managers are welcome to join the group and attend the educational meetings.
For instance, in addition to drawing the Where’s Waldo winners, the informative and lively topic of discussion at the August meeting included the new credit and pin cards with chips that are supposed to be introduced in October. That’s when liability for fraud is expected to shift from U.S. card issuers to merchants if merchants don’t upgrade their payment terminals to properly accept chip-based cards. Members shared their recent experiences with pros and cons of signing up with services that provide the new payment terminals.
In between meetings, you’ll find many IndieBound Naperville members where you see the bright red IndieBound Naperville sign in the window or prominently displayed inside the business. You’ll also see members posted on the IBN website where information is available about membership and the annual Grinch campaign held during the holidays.
For more information about membership, visit www.indieboundnaperville.org.
Thanks for getting to know your local independent business community and how they help make a difference to the local economy.
As IndieBound member Dan Casey of Casey’s Foods is known to say, “Support your local businesses and you’ll always live in a nice community.”
