By Dean Vaglia

Leader Staff Writer

The Oxford and Lake Orion Downtown Development Authorities (DDAs) are continuing their partnership with a slate of events for March.

The new activity the two organizations are excited for is letterboxing, a geocaching-like scavenger hunt that sends participants out around the towns to find hand-carved rubber stamps hidden in the shops and on the streets.

“You are given written clues,” said Suzanne Sebastian, Lake Orion DDA events coordinator. “And when you find [the stamp], you can stamp the stamp in your logbook.”

More than 20 stamps can be found between Oxford and Lake Orion, eight of which (four per community) can be found outside and the rest can be found in various downtown shops.

“We are hoping this will draw people into the shops,” Sebastian said. “It is going to hopefully spark a new hobby for people. It is really fun for families, kids [and] adults.”

“Stronger Together” themed letterboxing log books are available on the trolley while supplies last.

Should participants want to shop while looking for stamps, a new shopping passport for either town can earn rewards for shopping at local small businesses.

Shopping passports can be picked up at either DDA office (Oxford at 22 W. Burdick St. and Lake Orion at 118 N. Broadway St.). Each $25 purchase at a DDA area store, restaurant or service earns a passport stamp, and earning four stamps awards shoppers a prize when returned with receipts to a DDA office. The prizes are Lake Orion and Oxford gift certificates ranging from $10 to $40, available while supplies last. Online and in-person purchases are eligible.

Getting between the two towns remains accessible due to the trolley still running its regular Thursday and Saturday times and routes, which it will do through June thanks to a private donor’s support. Grants are being pursued to keep the trolley operating through the rest of 2022.

“People have been utilizing it,” Kelly Westbrook, Oxford DDA executive director, said. “There have been lines at the trolley stops.”

Plans are in the works to set up a trolley-tracking app, the equipment for the app is scheduled to be installed this week.

The trolley will run on St. Patrick’s Day (Thursday, March 17) with the DDAs mostly promoting the deals and specials put on by local businesses.

“We will probably lean on the businesses and promote the individual specials and everything that the businesses are doing, and then we are going to have longer trolley hours,” Westbrook said.