INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS SCAVENGER HUNTING?

In Mayweek, we release lists of around 200 to 500 items 2 or 3 days before the start of Mayweek :)

These items are things to find, and/or act out, and/or draw, photograph or video. A few involve comepeting with other teams, or solving puzzles. Some items are subject related, college related, book or film related, and a range of unusual objects.

Past examples include most unusual flavour of chocolate, largest clock, posing as Darwin outside Darwin College (other Colleges' equivalents of this are left to your imagination :) ) and building a scale model of Minas Tirith out of a portion of fudge.

The main points of the activity are having fun and meeting (or elsewise interacting with) people :)

The activity was Judged from a Picnic Fortress. Judges often have nice edibles to share; these upcoming judgings are also the CakeFaeries' start of term Squashes :)

Items are awarded points; it is always possible to score at least part of the points with partial efforts :)

The team with most points wins, gets a trophy with their team name on it to keep for the year, and, customarily, gets to run and judge next year's Scavenger Hunt :) Moreover, we reiterate, the main point of the activity is that it is fun, good clean fun: laughing with people rather than at them :)

To participate, sign up, whether as an individual or as a team, by emailing cakefaeries *at* gmail.com.

See here for The Scavenger Hunt Rules, including Safety and Conduct Rules all active participants in the Scavenger Hunt must read.

People are welcome to sign up early, seek to form a team and then tell us who the team are :)

Once you have them, write in again naming your team mates and providing a Team Name :)

Team names tend to be one or both of Silly and Descriptive.

The reigning champions are known as "I am Spartacus and so is my College Wife" alias "I am Spartacus and so is my College Cat"

The 2017 champions are "A Supply and Confidence Deal between Lord Buckethead and the Inanimate Carbon Rod"

Other past winning teams' names include "The Boom Squad", "Robyn kicks you in the face", and "Purple Clouds". We'll make these into a table here, by the simple expedient of reading them off the cup that came with the activity :)

As further examples of team names, "The Fantastic Five", "Bazalgette and the Englings", "This is Sparta", " Ducklings of the Apocalypse, and "The Bermuda Pentagon" :) are some past entries, the focus on five being the maximum team size, the focus on Sparta(cus) probably just being a coincidence.

See here for this last Mayweek's Items List

See here for a previous year's items list to get more of an idea about this lovely activity :)

NEWSFLASH (Tuesday 12 June)

* Some of us are running Cambridge's Scavenger Hunt from a Picnic Fortress on Queens' Backs. This is on Thurs 14th through to Sat 16th. Each day we start at 10:00, ending at 20:00 on Thurs, Fri and at 15:00 on Sat. To sign up, fill in the below, or just turn up at some point to show us, draw us, act out... fun Scavenger Hunt items from this year's Secret Items List which will be released 'overnight' on Wednesday :)

* As well as the expected college/subject related silliness and finding various picturesque locations, this year will feature Items List sections on

Retro Items

Fantasy

Dr Who

Baking

Faeries

Mythical Creatures

Rock

Waterguns

Telling Tall Tales

Allies

Chainwriting

Joke Candidates,

and more :)

By this, it's clear that this is a Bakey Faerie activity, a Duelly, Scouty and Listeny CakeFaerie activity, as well as a Silly CakeFaerie activity :) And indeed an activity in which people can participate via using, knowing and loving many another (esp lighter-hearted) societies' stuff :) There's something in it for everyone :)

Now that The Time is Nigh, Further Newsflashes may feature here or be linked to here :)

NEWSFLASH (Wednesday 13 June)

So far, we have the following teams

* Avocado the Iridescent Bernard

* I am Spartacus and so is my College Wife

* Teamname To Be Announced A

* Teamname To Be Announced B

* Possible Coalition C

* Various individual signups

NEWSFLASHES (Thursday 14 June)

This year's Items List has just been linked to: here :)

ROUND-UP OF THE FIRST DAY'S SCORES

I AM SPARTACUS AND SO IS MY COLLEGE WIFE : 158

DuckSoc 137

I don't know the name I haven't met my team mate yet 113 1/2 with four portraits and a purrpetual motion machine

un-named 9

ROUND-UP OF THE SECOND DAY'S SCORES

I AM SPARTACUS AND SO IS MY COLLEGE WIFE: 463

Avocado the Iridescent Bernard: 257.5 with a 5-person wolf outfit :)

I don't know the name I haven't met my team mate yet 156 1/2

DuckSoc 149

unnamed 1 17

unnamed 2 3 1/2

FINAL SCORES

I am Spartacus and so is my College Wife : 1215 3/4, with Tripos songs, Wheel of Time references, Closets, more than 200 Egg Puns, pointing out somewhat over 100 multi-theme items on the list, Tall Tales with a 20-metre-long front portion of a (Trojan) Duck as Evidence, Literal Depictions of 40 Rock Bands, and Oxford and Durham College Battle Robots as well as Cambridge ones.

AVOCADO THE IRIDESCENT BERNARD? 844, with a 5-person Giant Wolf outfit with beetroot juice re-enactment of Princess Moonoke, both regular and Duck-like Opera Singing, Tall Tales with plenty of 'Evidence', a Dr Who Play covering over 20 items, lots of Epic Music, Chainwriting, a Fondant Spacehopper Race, and an actual draft of "A Supply and Confidence Deal Between Lord Buckethead and the Inanimate Carbon Rod"

I don't know the name I haven't met my team mate yet 589, exibiting Mastery of Plushies, Cartoon Strips, Toy Guns and finally Fondant Art in that order. In particular with a rock dressed to Rock in a Fondant Leather Jacket and Black Cat Sidekick, and many Literal Interpretations of Films made out of Fondant.

DuckSoc 163

Un-named 1 17

Un-named 2 11 1/2 including the Best Attempt on the fiendish Rubik's Dodecahaedron :)

Comment: this is the first time a Scavenger Hunt has been won by an entirely Closeted Team using Meaningful Indirect Participation. Congratulations! And thanks to all other Participants, Judges and Items List Writers. The Winners' Winning Statement:

"No, I am Spartacus and so is our College Cat!"

Fondant-Art: a rock dressed to Rock, with a Cat Sidekick and a Cross-Gothed rock.

5-person Wolf Costume (Princess Mononoke): to Epic Music!

Tree best dressed as a person, partly made out of Fondant.

Tree Ned Stark would most likely pray to

Tardis Cake: Chocolate Cake, Best Decorated Cake, Time Machine and a Closet with reasons to wish for further Closet Rights. In Fondant, to double all scores.

Most unusual Plushie: a Plush Iron!

And finally, some highlights from the Colleges turning into Battle Robots to fight it out for the amusement of the tourists' 5-page Royal Rumble...