RYP’s “Chamber Chase” a Success

RICHMOND COUNTY – In what started as a burst of speed down the Rockingham Dragway, and finished as a final sprint to the front doors of Hudson Brothers, the Richmond Young Processionals’ inaugural Chamber Chase event Thursday night was a success.

Nine teams went head-to-head, battling it out around the county, in the hopes that they would take home the grand prize.

The event started at the Rockingham Dragway, where participants received a run-down of the Chase rules, and their first look at the event’s destinations. After a brief moment to strategize with their teams, participants piled back into their vehicles and prepared to complete the first challenge of the night:  racing down the Dragway’s iconic quarter mile.

“Racing your opponents down the drag strip was an exciting way to start the race,” local educator Brendan Snell said. “It really set the tone for a fun and exciting event.” 

From there, teams dispersed around the county to business locations ranging from Ellerbe to Hamlet, and all parts of Rockingham in between.

In the Hamlet area, teams visited the Hamlet Train Depot were Stephanie Thornsbury presented teams with a challenge to search the museum for the answer to a trivia question. 

When asked about her experience as a business destination, Thornsbury expressed, “It was a fantastic event. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and enjoyed the trivia question for the museum.”

Also in that region of the Chase was Richmond Community College, where participants were tasked to find a campus employee who could give them the “key” to becoming a member of the college’s new President’s Club.

At Ellerbe’s sole destination, Carolina Farm Credit, participants had to muster their brain power and to answer a trivia question about the history of agricultural lending.  Participants who reached this business were also greeted with gift bags from the Farm Credit.

The majority of the event’s destinations were centered in the Rockingham area.  Our Southern Roots asked participants a trivia question about its recent relocation, while destinations Hillside Florist, Simply Chic Monogram Boutique, Bold Moves Dance Studio, Merle Norman, Dance Sensations, and FirstHealth Fitness presented unique team challenges all their own. 

Perhaps the most buzzed about challenges were those hosted by Merle Norman, Dance Sensations and FirstHealth Fitness. Kelly Monroe of Merle Norman hosted a blindfolded lipstick challenge, wherein a blindfolded participant attempted to apply lipstick to his or her teammate. 

At Dance Sensations, new owner, Kassie Allen, and her staff challenged teams to try their hand at tumbling across the trampoline in their gymnastics room; a task that certainly brought out a part of everyone’s inner child. 

Then, over at FirstHealth Fitness, teams were put through a rigorous fitness relay by the training staff.  The burpees, jumping jacks, dumbbells, and free throw shots whipped the participants into shape and gave them all a workout to remember. 

“My favorite part of the Chamber Chase was having to complete a small task at certain stops, from learning a dance to having my roommate put lipstick on me while blindfolded,” local educator Jordyn Pillar said. “It was definitely a good laugh,” Pillar expressed.

In addition to the business destinations during the Chase, participants were also challenged to find 10 town trivia locations.  Hidden at each location was an official Chamber Chase trivia box.  Participants were then tasked to answer the contained town trivia question, or to retrieve the special token inside.

Boxes placed at locations such as the Richmond County Courthouse, Browder Park, Boyd Lake, and the Chamber of Commerce Building were relatively easy to find.  However, trivia boxes such as those placed at Mary Love Cemetery, the Town of Ellerbe entrance, and the Bostick School House presented some small challenges for the participants.

The determining factor for the event winners, however, came down to the completion of the bonus activities.  Bonus points were offered to teams who reached a business destination in each region of the Chase; a task that all teams completed.  Teams were also awarded points for posting a team selfie with the hashtag, #rypchamberchase, as well as for being the first to find a golden bonus box.  The bonus boxes, however, proved to be highly elusive for most teams, as only one of the three bonus boxes was located.

After two and a half hours of racing through town, teams rushed back to the Chamber Chase finish line, which was located in front of Hudson Brothers. The event concluded with the announcement of the Chamber Chase Champions, Mikey Knight, Wesley Jackson, and Randi Lockamy, who each took home bragging rights and a $50 Chamber of Commerce gift certificate.

The inaugural Chamber Chase event was proclaimed as a success by both team and business participants.  All involved hope to turn Chamber Chase into an annual event.