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AMUZING RACE
Saturday,June 21, 2008
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If you were given a combination padlock and a list of three United States Presidents, would you know how to open the padlock? This was the first task to kick off the Rochester Public Library Foundation’s Second Annual Amuzing Race fundraiser. The first team opened their lock in under a minute. 
Out of the thirty-five teams participating in the race this year, only eight teams succeeded in opening the lock before the teams were allowed to use library resources to help them. For 15 minutes teams wracked their brains and spun the dials on their locks until the announcement came that they could use any library resource
to help them figure out the clue. There was a mad dash to the catalog computers to look up books about presidents and in no time at all, the rest of the teams opened their locks and were on their way to the next destination. For those who are curious, the team that won first place was not one of the eight teams that solved the task within the first 15 minutes.
During the course of the race, teams were sent all over Rochester to find their clue and perform tasks. Some tasks included building
a geodesic dome out of newspapers, stacking paper cups into a pyramid without actually touching the cups with their hands, finding a certain employee at Target North, finding two cards with their team number on them 
out of a mountain of old library catalog cards, an electrical wiring project to turn on a light bulb, etc.... The race ended at the Sports Center Fieldhouse at Rochester Community and Technical
College with an awards ceremony and a picnic lunch sponsored by John Hardy’s Bar-B-Q.
The winning team, Footloose and Childfree finished the race in just over three and a half hours. The grand prize was four vouchers good for two tickets each to a 2008 Twins game, a Kent Hrbek figurine and a Kirby Puckett figurine all donated by Pepsi Cola Bottling Co. Other prizes included: more Twins’ tickets donated by the Minnesota Twins, tickets to the Rochester Greek Festival donated by Steve and Judy Kereakos, rounds of golf donated by the Rochester Park and Rec Department, family sessions and free 8x10 photos donated by Hart Photography, and many more great prizes.
Thanks to race participants, volunteers, and sponsors, the event raised just over $12,000 for the Rochester Public Library Foundation. The library uses Foundation funds to augment collections, expand programs, and launch pilot projects that enrich the lives of the citizens of Olmsted County. The Foundation also donated 35 rolls of paper towels to the Ronald McDonald House as a result of the race. Along with the first clue, each team was given $2.10 to be used later in the race. It wasn’t until clue #11 that the teams found out that they needed that money to purchase a roll of paper towels and bring them to the Ronald McDonald House to get their next clue.
More photos of the 2nd Annual Amuzing Race can be found by visiting: Amuzing Race 2008
EVENT SPONSOR
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PICNIC SPONSOR
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Leg Sponsors
| Associated Bank | Dunlap & Seeger |
| Edina Realty/Dave & Lois Marris | FAER (Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research) |
| Barb & Phil Henoch | John Hardy's Bar-B-Q |
| Knutson Construction Services | League of Women Voters |
| Lesmeister Trucking | Olmsted Medical Center |
| Rochester Public Utilities | Harry & Delores Swedlund |
| Think Mutual Bank | Thrivent Financial for Lutherans |
| Treasure Island Resort & Casino | Veolia |
| Winkles Electric |
In-Kind and Prize Donations
| Dorothy Bishop | Cold Stone Creamery |
| Friends of the Library | Hart Photography |
| HyVee South | Steve & Judy Kereakos |
| KIMT Channel 3 | Minnesota Twins |
| Pace Dairy | Pepsi Cola Bottling Co |
| Qualey-Fisher Insurance | Radisson Plaza Hotel |
| Recreation Lanes | Rochester Community & Technical College |
| Rochester Park & Rec Department | SNG Research |
| Target |
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Last updated: 07/28/2008