Locals Scavenge City

With a trophy and bragging rights at stake, the atmosphere was one of intense, if good-natured, competition at Cluefest 2008, as a New Haven rite marked its sixth season.

This citywide scavenger hunt Saturday, dreamed up by The Group with No Name (TGWNN) six years ago, sends teams of friends and strangers around the city, unraveling clues and documenting their progress with digital cameras.

The first rule of Cluefest is that Cluefest is not a race. ​“It’s a game to learn more about New Haven, and everyone who plays is a winner,” reads the rule sheet.

But with a trophy and bragging rights at stake, the atmosphere was one of intense, if good-natured, competition.

As the clock struck 2, teams hopped in cars and raced off on bikes, plotting out routes to the locations hidden in the clues provided.

A short bus pulled up on Orange Street, and the largest team of the day — 13 Cluefesters, myself included — piled on. These were ​“the founders,” who had decided to pitch in for a larger ride. Among them were Janna Wagner, founder of TGWNN, who helped to pilot Cluefest six years ago, and past Cluefest organizers Christine Kim, Ben Berkowitz, New Haven Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts, and Yale Vice President of New Haven and State Affairs Michael Morand.

Also along for the ride were some Cluefest neophytes, including a few Yale students and a recent graduate of SUNY New Paltz who is new to New Haven.

The following clue sent us to our first destination of the afternoon:

“The Grand Dragon swivels from side to side,
Its estuarial cousin caused havoc when it died.
Oysters, lobsters overlook strong tidal flows,
A long strip of green is where to go.
If you’re still lost, don’t get down,
For a university bears its name in a nearby town.”

For the old hands on the bus, this was a no-brainer. The clue referred to the Grand Dragon bridge, its ​“estuarial cousin” the long-closed Ferry Street Bridge, Quinnipiac University, and the long green strip of Quinnipiac River Park.

When we arrived at the park, we stopped for a team photo (at top of story) with the Cityseed Farmer’s Market sign to earn a bonus clue. (Other bonus points could be earned with photos by city bike shops, LEED-certified Green buildings, canoe launches, public art and on-road bike lanes.)

Two Cluefest volunteers were waiting at the park with a list of questions to be answered for a bonus clue. After determining the percentage decrease in area muskrat lodges in the late 20th century (78), the number of letters in the English translation of Quinnipiac (13), and 12 other factoids, we received a new riddle leading to Fuel, a nearby coffee shop.

Thus began a three-hour adventure that took us to East Rock, a rock climbing gym, and a flea market in the Hill, to name a few.

Wagner (pictured) said she loves Cluefest because it gets people out of their comfort zones, exploring new neighborhoods and meeting new people.

“It really ties you to the city in a tangible way,” she said, as we walked from the bus to the indoor climbing wall on Shelton Avenue. She and fellow founders passed the torch to Lasater and other organizers this year.

“You do it with friends or you do it with strangers, and you’re developing relationships,” she said. ​“And that’s what ties people to place — the relationships they build with other people. It’s exciting to discover the city not just in place but in people.” Three past Cluefest champions have been teams that met each other on the day of the event.

Cluefest also introduces its questers to local businesses, from art galleries to coffee shops to bike shops. Since its inception in 2002, Cluefest participants have grown in number from the original 20 to over 300.

Cluefest aims to provide a challenge for the know-it-alls and a good time for newcomers. Berkowitz (pictured), known locally for his design of the Better Than Your Town t‑shirt, said participating in and organizing Cluefest have been two of his most memorable experiences in a lifetime spent in New Haven.

“What’s great is that we’ve run it for six years, but we keep finding new cool places to go, so we don’t need to repeat any places,” Wagner said.

Wagner, a New Haven native, founded TGWNN in 2001 when she returned to New Haven as a young professional and found little in the way of community for the under-40 crowd. She initiated a series of happy hours to bring young people together, and the group has since expanded to include residents of all ages. Today, there are just under 1,000 people on TGWNN​’s email list.

As the day wound down and the 5:30 deadline approached, the team totaled its points and headed off to the after-party at Long Wharf Theatre. With only 54 points out of 100, this did not look like the year they would bring home the trophy. But this group knows the first rule of Cluefest better than anyone, and as the bus set off for Long Wharf, they were all smiles.

Other highlights from Cluefest 2008:

A color-coordinated team of Cluefest veterans gears up for the race.

Rising Yale sophomore Rui Bao takes on the climbing wall at the CT Rock Gym on Shelton Avenue

A rival emerges from the Union Station car garage.

Justin Elicker, a student at the Yale Forestry School, studies a city map as New Haven rushes past his window.

City CAO Rob Smuts shows off his new ​“C is for Cluefest” belt, the required ​“novelty item” the team bought at the flea market.

Norman Rodriguez, bus driver extraordinaire, enjoys the view from East Rock after a winding uphill climb. He has been driving a bus for eight years, but most of his customers keep him on the highways. He said he learned a lot from his first drive around this city. ​“Now I’ll know some places to bring my family,” he said.