Gnome sweet gnome: Find one in Gig Harbor, and you could win a prize
There is a scavenger hunt under way in the Gig Harbor area that is in a league all its gnome.
Justin Teerlinck, 45, an occupational therapist and writer, has created a treasure hunt in which community members can search for hidden garden gnomes to win prizes from local businesses.
Teerlinck hopes the city-funded event, known as “Gnomes Away From Home,” can help bring the community together.
“It’s a treasure hunt that is available for adults as well as children. It’s not just for kids,” Teerlinck said. “It’s there for everybody to have fun and to just get out of the house, basically explore area parks, raise awareness of our area parks, and also to support local businesses.”
There is no timeline, as the contest is to run until all the gnomes are discovered.
Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Teerlinck went to grad school in Portland before working at Western State Hospital in Lakewood. He has now settled in Gig Harbor with his own private practice.
How to find your gnome
Here’s how it works: Whenever you spot a gnome, you go to the contact page of Teerlinck’s website, www.gnomesaway.com, or email GnomesAwayFromHome@gmail.com your name, mailing address and the unique name on each gnome found.
“Whoever wins enters a raffle for a gift certificate for an area business,” Teerlinck said. “I made sure that I purchased them from locally owned businesses because I wanted to support local businesses.”
These include Kimball Coffeehouse, Java & Clay Cafe, Il Lucano, Invitation Bookshop, Gig Harbor Boat Works, and others.
Winners will be entered into the raffle for a chance to win a gift certificate.
Teerlinck is one of eight recent recipients of Creative Endeavors grants from the City of Gig Harbor. He’s using the $1,470 grant to get the project off the ground.
“This is a partnership with the Arts Commission of the City of Gig Harbor and they’ve been great. They’ve been incredibly encouraging and really, really supportive,” Teerlinck said. “They’ve even given some of their own ideas of what could be done on future treasure hunts.”
Charlee Glock-Jackson, chair of the city’s Arts Commission, said the gnome hunt has been a hit.
“We’re thrilled about this event. This is the first time that this event has been done in Gig Harbor. It’s very unique but it definitely meets our criteria in that it really involved and benefits the community in fun ways,” Glock-Jackson said. “It’s accessible both physical and monetarily. Anyone can play, anyone can participate.”
Glock-Jackson said the commission has been “tickled” by the idea and some members have gone looking for gnomes themselves.
Teerlinck has twenty gnomes he plans to hide, though he is putting them out in waves as opposed to all at once. They are all about three inches tall and were made by Dollar Tree. Teerlinck says he bought the gnomes in bulk online. They have similar appearances, but often are in different poses.
“I’m hiding them four at a time so that way it is not so overwhelming for me to keep track of because the Gnomebassador is only one person running this whole show. I write all the clues,the backstory, and the mythology around it,” Teerlinck said. “Just for ease of record-keeping, I only put out four at a time.”
Hidden in plain sight
Teerlinck says the gnomes will be hidden in plain sight, and no shovels will be required. Previous gnomes have been discovered at Skate Park, Narrows Park, and the Cushman Trailhead.
Clues can be found on his website, which also details the story of how they got lost. According to the gnome lore, “there was a small earthquake near Mt. Rainier, too small for humans to feel,” that “sent a ripple through the underground Underplace where all the gnomes live.’ This caused the gnomes to flee, and some were lost in the area as they wandered too far from home.
Teerlinck hopes that the scavenger hunt will become a Gig Harbor tradition.
“I also want to keep it going as long as possible to just get more people involved and keep the fun going as long as possible,” Teerlinck said. “As a community mental health occupational therapist, one of my biggest goals is to be as inclusive as possible and get as many people participating as possible.”
Glock-Jackson hopes to bring the event back for next year.
“ Hopefully, the city council will approve this project in our Arts Commission 2022 Budget,” Glock-Jackson said. “Assuming that the council does see fit to restock our grant money pot, we’ll be putting out our call for proposals pretty early next year, probably in January.”
Teerlinck said he hasn’t committed to applying for another grant next year, though left the door open.
“The future is not yet written for next year, so if it’s a big hit, there is the potential for me to apply again for another grant next year,” Teerlinck said. “There has already been some encouragement to do that, but I’m kinda playing it by ear right now. It’s the first go- around, so I’m learning trial by error but I’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback, it’s been great.”
For now, Teerlinck hinted that there are even more surprises gnome finders that he won’t yet reveal.
“The point is being physically active and having a good time being engaged with your environment.”
This story was originally published June 12, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
