Marshalltown residents will soon be able to participate in Marshall’s Bee Hunt, a scavenger hunt and contest the Marshalltown Central Business District is launching on Friday.

Deb Millizer, executive director of MCBD, said the contest will not only be a fun family activity but also highlights local businesses.

“The inspiration behind Marshall’s Bee Hunt was to give the community a social distancing activity while demonstrating support for our downtown businesses,” she said.

Marshall the Bee will hang in the windows of 20 downtown businesses that have decided to participate. The contest will run from Friday to June 15.

The first person to send a list of all the locations to Millizer at director@marshalltownmainstreet.org along with a photo of Marshall at their favorite location, wins. The winner will be announced on June 17 on MCBD’s Facebook page and website.

The prize is substantial with a value of more than $300.

“The gift basket will have an array of gift certificates & gifts from local retail businesses & restaurants. Details of the basket will be released on the MCBD’s social media,” Millizer said.

She encourages the community to use the contest to support the downtown businesses. The last couple months have not been easy on them, and the business owners deserve the public’s support. Simply mentioning them on social media can help them draw in customers.

“We are also hoping that the public takes photos of Marshall’s location, upload to social media, tag the business and use the hashtag #findmarshall,” Millizer said.

Like many other groups and individuals in Marshalltown, MCBD is using creativity to enjoy the summer while staying safe. While precautions should still be taken to lessen the spread, there are many fun ways to pass the time.

Millizer hopes the contest will be a fun activity for the whole family.

“We would like to community to enjoy hunting for Marshall the Bee,” she said

According to Millizer, MCBD also plans to release a coloring page of Marshall the Bee in the next few weeks, which they partnered with Marshall County Arts and Culture Alliance to create.

ALL ABOUT MARSHALL THE BEE

• Hive location: Marshalltown Central Business District

• Favorite colors: Purple and blue

• Favorite plant: Lavender

• Favorite place in the MCBD: The Gallery Garden

• Life goal: Finish producing the average amount of honey in a bee’s life – a teaspoon. Of course, stopping at local MCBD businesses along the journey.

• Something he is looking forward to: The MCBD Bee Hunt.

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Contact Anna Shearer at ashearer@timesrepublican.com.