Scavenger Hunt

Perhaps it was cabin fever brought on by dreary weather that led to the Great South Jersey Scavenger Hunt. It came to public attention early yesterday when police in Pennsauken spotted five youths attempting to cart off a heavy U.S. mail box, possibly a federal offense. The boys said they were students at Bishop Eustace Prep in Cherry Hill, one of the area's finest academic high schools. They were taking part in a scavenger hunt in competition with three other schools, according to police.

Disciplinary action will be taken at Bishop Eustace Preparatory High School in the wake of a student-orchestrated scavenger hunt in which numerous items, including a 15-foot canoe and a New Jersey Bell charge-a-phone, were stolen from at least seven South Jersey towns, according to vice principal Cyril Bleistine. "There will be some suspensions involved," Bleistine said. "In addition to facing the consequences here, they're facing the consequences at home. " The scavenger hunt apparently began during the evening of March 5 and came to an end about 4 a.m. March 6 when Pennsauken police caught five students with a U.S. mailbox in the trunk of their car. They were charged with possession of stolen property.

Mother Nature wasn't showing her best side. But that didn't daunt the elementary and secondary students' zeal. They had planned on spending a day in the great outdoors at the second annual Chester County Eco-meet, a competition designed to show off their knowledge of the environment, and they were determined to see it through. Rain or shine. It rained. Assembling at historic Springton Manor Farm in Glenmoore, about 80 students from 10 of Chester County's 12 public school districts and the Church Farm School in Exton spent the day dodging downpours while identifying fish, tracing wildlife tracks and scrounging for nature's treasures.

If your child might delight in spotting a cupola on a roof top, perhaps the Walking Tour of historic Market Street in Wilmington would be a fun family activity next weekend. "We have offered walking tours of Wilmington before," said Paula Holloway, director of public relations for the Historical Society of Wilmington, which is sponsoring the tour. "But this is the first time we will have a scavenger hunt. " Along with completing a walking tour of Market Street, with its rich history of a more industrial time in Wilmington, strollers will also be asked to pick out architectural details on the buildings.

Thirty-six Haverford High School students were arrested Friday night after what police describe as an "extensive" scavenger hunt in which scores of items were stolen. Street signs, business signs, pay-phone receivers, house shutters, a picket fence, a golf-ball washer, road-construction barricades and cones, vehicle hood ornaments, the township fire marshal's license plate - all were listed among the stolen property. The hunt was conducted throughout the township, mostly by members of the high school football team, police said.

Let's talk about a threat to the spirit of today's youth. No, not vile Hollywood fare like Natural Born Killers. No, not such estimable scourges as illegal drugs. A much more modest threat, but annoying nevertheless: Adults who have utterly misplaced their sense of humor, whose killjoy countenance betrays no memory of what it's like to be 17, exuberant and eager to blow this pop stand called high school. Adults like the school officials who, in an out-of-scale punishment for a minor offense, are stealing commencement from four Hunterdon Central seniors.

Feet in tiptoe condition? Eyes like a hawk's? If so, head on over to Old City on Oct. 2, when the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Old City Arts Association team up for the "First Friday" fall open-house series. "Ruby Friday," as they're calling it, named for choreographer George Balanchine's Rubies ballet to be performed Oct. 14 to 18, is a scavenger hunt for red objects scattered throughout 33 art galleries, antiques shops and decorative arts showrooms. Participants spotting six red objects - in six or more locations -will be eligible to win a season's subscription to the ballet, as well as other prizes.

Hunterdon Central High School recently grabbed top honors for being one of the most innovative among the thousands of public schools in New Jersey. But when the state Education Department handed out its Star Schools and Best Practices awards two weeks ago, it didn't realize just how innovative things could be at Hunterdon Central. When the senior class organized its scavenger hunt last month, students wanted to make it a little more . . . interesting. But how to do that? By getting naked, of course.

Packing hand tools and scorecards, the high school students were on a mission. They began at 8 p.m., dividing into teams and spreading through the township, police said. Before they were done, they had collected mailboxes, stop signs, lawn chairs, pumpkins - and police citations. Thirty students from Conwell-Egan Catholic High School face charges of disorderly conduct and fines of up to $300 for their roles in a large-scale scavenger hunt Tuesday night in Fairless Hills, police said yesterday.

For years, orientation for teachers new to the Rancocas Valley Regional High School District followed the same routine: sitting in a room as district officials paraded before them to discuss policy and procedures. Last year, Henry Cram, the district superintendent, decided that routine needed to change. "We encourage teachers to be creative, but we were guilty of doing exactly what we had been telling teachers not to do," Cram said. "It was a numbing process for everyone. So rather than overload them with information, we've been asking our new teachers to go out and find the information.

Two years after singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell released the ambitious and career-defining folk opera Hadestown - a musical retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice set in Depression-era America - she's back with a decidedly different but equally ambitious effort, Young Man in America. Produced by Todd Sickafoose, who also helmed Hadestown, the new album features several New York-based rock and experimental jazz musicians, and has Mitchell inhabiting several musical characters, male and female.

Saturday Art out of doors Children and adults can enjoy an educational and cultural experience along Kelly Drive, home of some of the city's best-known sculptures. One on of the fall's Sculpture Saturdays, families can create their own sculptures and learn about public art through audio tours while jamming to world music including African drumbeats, calypso, folk rock, and Brazilian rhythms. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Fairmount Park along Kelly Drive. Free. Information: 215-546-7550, www.museumwithoutwallsaudio.org/sculpture-saturdays . Friday What's brewing The colonial capital of brewing, Philadelphia honors its historical roots with Elfreth's Alley Brew Fest, a culinary gathering with beer history lectures, food-and-beer pairing recommendations, home brew contests and a bountiful helping of special sausages cooked by award-winning chef Walter Staib of City Tavern.

FAMILY FUN IF ANY PART of our fair city feels vaguely Hogsmeade-ish, it's gotta be tree-lined, historic, cobblestoned and kinda spooky Chestnut Hill. This weekend, a bunch of Muggles are making the village feel even more like Harry Potter's home base, with bars, bakeries, toy shops and even the college collaborating on their best impersonation of J.K. Rowling's magical village. Events you oughta see: Tonight's butterbeer-fueled pub-crawl from 7 to 9 p.m. on Germantown Avenue, where the patron who finds a hidden Harry gets a $150 neighborhood gift certificate; tomorrow's all-afternoon collegiate "Brother Love Cup Quidditch Tournament" at Chestnut Hill College from noon to 4 p.m.; Sunday's scavenger hunt for kids from noon to 4 p. m.; and a weekend-long scarecrow contest at Morris Arboretum.

WHO SAID PRINT IS DEAD? Philly music mag Magnet , which went web-only in December 2008, just returned to print with an issue featuring Wilco on the cover. Editor Eric T. Miller , who founded the magazine in 1993, has partnered with Alex Mulcahy and Red Flag Media, which also publishes Decibel . Magnet is now a monthly, not a quarterly. The new issue also features Baltimore's Spank Rock , who got their start in Philly; Das Racist ; and Mac McCaughan of Superchunk and co-owner of Merge Records, home of Arcade Fire . Joyner's a rainmaker Syndicated morning-radio host Tom Joyner , heard here on 100.3 WRNB, will be at the Pennyslvania Convention Center this afternoon, giving out $45,000 in cash.

Kids can boogie the afternoon away at Loews Hotel Philadelphia when the Baby Loves Disco 12-city Super Heroes Tour comes to town Saturday. A portion of the proceeds will benefit public school classrooms. From 2 to 5 p.m., Superhero DJ Fire-traxx and MC Mr. Marc will keep kids dancing as they spin disco grooves. Baby Loves Disco cofounder and choreographer Heather Murphy will teach superhero dances. Children can have a luxuriate at the party, receiving manicures, pedicures, mini-makeovers, fun hairdos, and massages.

Forty-one children, all of whom had lost a parent or sibling, began every morning this week sitting in a circle. Little glass hearts were passed around. The children held them in their palms, joined hands, and recited: "We weave our hearts and hands together in the circle of safety and trust, to support each other as we explore our dreams and hopes together. " This action each morning at Camp Charlie in a sense transported these children, freed them. The message was clear: You are here, together, with others like you. This is a chance to let down your guard, to open up, to heal.

As a young nerd growing up, I used to love to read field guides. I owned field guides to insects, snakes, wildflowers, Hawaiian tropical fish, and North American songbirds. I had a collection of breed encyclopedias as well, including several on dogs, horses, and cats - wild and domestic. I loved the books' floppy faux-leather covers and the rows of glossy photographs, but what I really loved were the names. Imagination is overrated - give me Latin classification any day! It's a miracle I had any friends.

Commercial beekeepers have huge numbers of hives, but 95 percent of the nation's 212,000 beekeepers do it in their backyards. So let us now hail Lorenzo L. Langstroth, the Philadelphian who invented the modern beehive. Langstroth's 200th birthday is in December, but rather than wait until it's too cold to celebrate outdoors, four area organizations are teaming up to present the Philadelphia Honey Festival, Friday through Sunday. The festival lineup includes lessons, lectures, cooking classes, aesthetic inspiration, a scavenger hunt, an appearance by Pennsylvania's Honey Queen, Teresa Bryson, 18, of Chambersburg, and as good an excuse as any to sip honey-sweetened iced tea. Honey gelato, anyone?

Attention all home remodelers and interior designers: the Philadelphia Home Show opens tomorrow at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Whether you are looking to remodel your kitchen or just add some flair to your living room, the show's nearly 300 exhibitors will inspire and guide you. New this year is the Green Zone, an area that seeks to educate homeowners about products that are both energy-saving and eco-friendly. Green companies, including Tupperware, Global Home Improvement, and Better Homes, will show off new products and services to homeowners who want to make their homes as "green" as possible.

The Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion will host its second annual Old Fashioned Picnic from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday as part of its yearlong Sesquicentennial Celebration. The picnic will offer activities such as croquet, a scavenger hunt, ring toss, origami, and face painting. Devin Bird from Germantown's Give & Take Jugglers will perform juggling routines, mingle with children, and ride a unicycle around the grounds. Musicians with guitars and percussion instruments will play on the front porch of the mansion.