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Around 30 kids and parents gathered in Book Ends to celebrate the end of the store’s Where’s Waldo event on July 31.
Throughout July, kids flooded stores around Winchester scouring for hidden Waldos as part of a summertime event put on by Book Ends.
The “Where’s Waldo” event runs every July for the full month. Kids are given stamp cards and encouraged to search around 25 local shops and find the hidden Waldos. They receive a stamp for every Waldo they find.
Some Waldos are easy to find while others are not. The event plays off of the concept of “Where’s Waldo” books, which are children’s puzzle books that have kids find Waldo and his friends.
At the end of the month, kids and parents gather in Book Ends to participate in various activities like word searches, mazes and one last search around the store for Wizard Whitebeard. Towards the end of the night, kids who participated in the raffle gather around a staff member as five winners are announced.
This year, Book Ends gave away between 50 and 75 stamp sheets to kids.
For kids who found 10 Waldos and marked them down on their stamp sheet, they received a sticker and a poster. For those who uncovered 20 hidden Waldos, they were entered into a raffle where the prize is more “Where’s Waldo” books.
This event has been running for longer than Jillian Hartline has owned the Book Ends. It is done in collaboration with Candlewick Press, the U.S. publisher for the “Where’s Waldo” books.
Publishers often partner with local independent bookstores like Book Ends for events like this because they recognize the value these stores have to a community.
“[Publishers] are trying to help us be a pillar of our community, and that’s part of why Where’s Waldo is so important in Winchester,” Hartline said.
Events like these also help make the shopping experience more special for customers.
The event has generated nostalgia for those who participated in it when they were younger. College students or babysitters will often come up to Hartline and tell her how they remember searching for Waldos as a kid.
“It’s something really special,” Hartline said.
Even some of the older kids in Winchester find it hard to let go of the nostalgia. The lack of an age limit means that Hartline sees teens and tweens searching for Waldos as well as early elementary schoolers.
Some parents also bring their kids back to the event year after year. This year was Missy McBride’s family’s second time participating.
They look forward to it every year.
“It’s a fun summer activity,” McBride said. “The kids had so much fun going around town.”
You can read all about Waldo and his friends in any of the “Where’s Waldo” books, available at Book Ends or online. COURTESY PHOTOS
For many of the parents and kids at the celebration party, this was their first time participating. Jamie Bowman participated with her daughter. They managed to do the entire search the day of the party.
In such a short amount of time, they managed to find 18 Waldos. For them, it was a fun way to find new stores.
“I liked just looking around town,” said Bowman’s daughter. “It was a good way to explore.”
This year, the celebration party was more packed than previous years. Hartline can’t wait for next year’s Where’s Waldo.
“Everything just gets better every year,” Hartline said.
Tavishi Chattopadhyay is a journalism student at Boston University.
