The Horns, The Hounds, The Pawing of Hoofs… Let The (Antiques) Hunt begin!

The third annual award-winning Housatonic Valley Tourism’s Antique and Collectible Scavenger Hunt is back and chomping at the bit. Treasure hunting runs through February 28, with winners expected to be announced during the first week in March.

Ten antiques and collectibles items are waiting to be discovered in over 50 participating antique and consignment shops in the region’s nine towns of Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield and Sherman.

“We get more and more calls coming in daily from potential visitors who plan to visit New England and are asking if the Housatonic Valley is a good place to antique,” explained Catherine Brashich, the executive director of Housatonic Valley Tourism District. “We wanted to show off our resources.”

Antiquers can obtain an entry form with photos of the coveted treasures by calling the Housatonic Valley Tourism District office at 743-0546, sending e-mail to hvtd@anet.net, or by picking up a ballot at any of the area’s participating shops. A Collector’s Corner brochure is also available listing every shop in the region, so no nook or cranny will go unscavenged.

This year’s hidden treasures include everything from a pair of circa 1930 American art pottery urns to a child’s iron day bed with a basket weave design. Scavengers can take their time enjoying each shop for its individual appeal and good buys.

There is no limit to the amount of trips hunters can make to each shop, but they are only allowed one entry per visit.

Once a hunter locates an item, he or she records it on the official entry form and drops it in the official contest box at the location. A drawing will then determine the winner of the piece for that site. Besides the antique pieces, participants have a chance of winning a grand prize weekend getaway in the Housatonic Valley, an overnight stay, or dinner for two.

“The Scavenger Hunt encourages visitors to the Housatonic Valley to visit antiques shops, try our four-star restaurants and check out our museums and galleries,” said Judith Baxter, the owner of Déjà Vu in Ridgefield. ‘This area is so rich with history, they’ll actually be antiquing within that atmosphere.”

The three-month time frame for the contest allows hunters ample time to search for all of the items, and find a few good buys in the effort.

“This is truly a hunt for treasures,” added Barbara Toplin, store manager at the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield. “Hunters will spend hours in places that may at first not interest them, and then there may be a treasure gleaming there in the middle, that special little thing they’ll discover they might have missed had they not visited that location.”

An added bonus to the contest is the opportunity to attend antiques shows that are taking place simultaneously in the region. Related events are listed in the Connecticut Country Collector’s Corner brochure.