Chippy, the mascot for Jefferson County Parks and Recreation, invites his friends to participate in a Hide and Seek event throughout the month of July. Toni Milbourne

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION – In an effort to combine social distancing, physical activity and a celebration of National Parks and Recreation Month, the Jefferson County Parks and Recreation staff has developed a “Hide and Seek with Chippy” activity that expands over five of the county’s parks: Sam Michael’s Park, James Hite Park, South Jefferson Park, Mount Mission Park and Leetown Park.

Chippy is the chipmunk mascot of the JCPR department. He is found at all major events hosted by the park, becoming a favorite of children over the years.

Individuals are invited to download maps highlighting Chippy’s hiding spots within each park, and then to travel to the parks to attempt to find the exact locations. A tag has been placed at each hiding spot with a number on it, so that when participants in the hunt find the tag, they record the number on their answer sheet.

Both maps and answer sheets can be downloaded and printed or, if printing is not possible, participants can write down the tag numbers on a piece of paper.

The hunt continues through the month of July, allowing plenty of time for individuals to seek out the 80 locations Chippy has found to hide in.

When recording the spot where the tag is found, the answer should appear as the number of the location and the tag. An example would be 1.R7, which will be evident when finding the hidden spots.

The red numbered spots on the map are approximate locations of Chippy’s hiding spots, which participants will have to search for at the park.

Finding as many of Chippy’s hiding spots as possible could allow participants to receive one of 10 $10 gift certificates to JCPR activities. After having found as many spots as possible, participants should drop their answer sheets off at the Jefferson County Community Center at Sam Michael’s Park, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Answer sheets can also be emailed to the department at info@jcprc.org Attn: Chippy.

All answer sheets are due to the department by noon on July 31, for inclusion in the contest. Gift certificate winners will be determined by the number of Chippy hiding spots found. Should there be a more than 10 winners, 10 will be randomly drawn.

Social distancing is encouraged when participating in the hunt; JCPR staff encourages the use of hand sanitizer, should individuals touch any of the tags at the hiding places.