“George Washington Christmas Game.”
30 teams! 16 volunteer missions to celebrate the American Spirit! The Grand Prize Winner is “President For A Day.” Choose a mission to “treasure hunt” for cash, prizes, discounts & very unusual treasure called “Loony Coupons.”
When you register you are randomly placed on a team. Your team’s mascot is on a boat at Lake Lanier. The mascot can live stream your team’s skits from the Water Carnival. Like all mascots they try to share good cheer!
The City of Cumming will become Philadelphia Pennsylvania and Lake Lanier will become the Delaware River in 1776. At the Cumming City Center you gain rank in the Continental Army. On Lake Lanier you gain rank as one of George Washington’s Marines. The highest rank on each mission leads it. Every day, all 30 teams get a score for their treasure hunt. (Each of the 16 missions.) The winners are called “Pirates” the losers are called “British.”
Each team supports a Special Hero. The fun they have is documented in a 30 minute youtube episode called “Special Heroes.” There are donors and volunteers on each team. This is similar to a baseball game. The donors don’t know how to play so they buy a ticket to watch their favorite team. The volunteers know how to play, get paid, win prizes and are out on the field. You can instantly switch between donor and volunteer at anytime as often as you want. This helps donors learn the game gradually and lets volunteers take a break. Some volunteers can learn how to be called “skit directors.” They know how to live stream missions to get online donations so their team can score. Skit directors can live stream from their own Youtube channel. This can increase their subscribers by being online at the “Great American State Fair.”
Volunteer missions create sports, events, carnival booths, skits, performances and any type of fun and food the team decides. You try to steal the donors from other teams, or get their volunteers to spy or mutiny. On July 5, only the top 20 teams will make it to year two. The 10 lowest scoring teams will drop out and 10 new teams will be added for next year.
No credit cards are needed by volunteers after their $1 registration. They trade volunteer time for fun, food and prizes. We are hoping donors spend all their time at the concession stands getting food, drink, T-shirts, hats and bling. 18+ to win prizes, register or volunteer.
All donations get a tax receipt. Donors get electronic points called “Loonies.” You can bribe judges, gamble, rig bets, pay off spies, feed mermaids, fund mutinies and even squander your donation when you “Get Loony.”
All proceeds can be seen on a public ledger. They help Special Needs populations at a Forsyth County Vocational Group Home under construction.
Instructional Video: Short OR Long Or Mission
Here is what to know about the American Spirit.
The American Spirit was created on Christmas Day 1776. Three groups of soldiers were to cross the Delaware River and battle the British. Colonel Cadwalader with his 1800 men and James Ewings with his 800 men turned back due to a ferocious winter storm. It took George Washington 11 hours to cross the 300 yards of the River with 2,400 volunteers using fishing boats, hunting weapons and farm tools to battle a well trained, well equipped British army dug into the city of Trenton.
As the patriots got closer to the British, instead of a surprise attack, front and center unarmed musicians marched into battle playing the fife and drum to call out the British to fight. All of George Washington’s men were singing “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and even dancing as they advanced into battle.
The British were shocked, surprised, demoralized and fought poorly. The patriots were energized, fought courageously and won. That is how the American Spirit was used as a weapon to defeat the British.
To this day, “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” is the number one song played in fife and drum competitions. The story of the American spirit spread to other patriots and we won our independence. It has continued to this day and USA soldiers are known for their American Fighting Spirit.
The Star Spangled Banner was written by John Frances Key in 1813. Before that “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” a song that mocked the British was our unofficial national anthem.
If you are in competition, on a Treasure Hunt you can be asked to sing the first line of Yankee Doodle. If you don’t, (Or sing more than the first line!) you are accused of being a British spy. You could be given a “Booby Prize” instead of a “Booty Prize.”
The place where Yankee Doodle Dandy was sung the most often and with the greatest cheer and spirit was at the Tun Tavern. This was at Water Street and Tun Alley across the street from “Washingtons Wharf” on the Delaware River.
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Paul Jones and many other founding fathers were at Independence Hall during the day and at the Tun Tavern in the evenings. During the day they crafting the declaration of independence and the constitution, during the evenings they drank beer and recruited volunteer Marines at the Tun Tavern. Yankee Doodle Dandy, sung to mock the British, was the most popular song at the Tun Tavern. Everybody sang it loudly with all the Spirit they had. The Marines raised their flag for the first time at the Tun Tavern. The Marine Slogan is “Born in a bar.”
For over a year the founding fathers recruited volunteers and formed a plan to attack the British by crossing the Delaware River.
That is when they knew that they could use the American Spirit to defeat the British at Trenton. It worked. When unarmed musicians marching at the front and center were wounded, to support their brothers in arms, they would keep singing joyfully and loudly until they fell. Soldiers that were armed were so energized by the bravery and spirit of the unarmed musicians that they fought with unrestrained courage and won over a vastly superior enemy. The battle was described as “Pirates VS British.”
Christmas Day of 1776 was when the American Spirit was created. We celebrate it with something called “The George Washington Christmas Game.” Watch a video to learn it. Sign the 250th Birthday Card and create at least one gift of the American Spirit. Bring it (online) to the party for a gift exchange. The more American Spirit you create, the easier it is to win. This is just like the volunteer marines at the Battle of Trenton.
Treasure Hunt & Pirate school Homework
The marines were an innovative mix of volunteers. Why did they volunteer?