Maine Couple Creates $20K Treasure Hunt To Celebrate State's Bicentennial

A Maine couple is celebrating the state's bicentennial by offering a chance to win $20,000 as part of a treasure hunt.

The "Dirigo Treasure" was created by Kurt and Kelly Stokes, of Newcastle, in partnership with Dirigo Treasures LLC, LCNME.com reports.

The Stokes spent three years exploring and photographing all around the state of Maine and wanted to do something special to celebrate its 200th anniversary.

“We created the game to celebrate Maine’s 200 years of statehood,” Kurt said via LCNME.com. “What better way to celebrate Maine than to get people out of the house, out of their town, and exploring parts of the state they never knew existed?”

Maine residents and visitors interested in finding the treasure will need to do so by cracking a secret, riddle and puzzle. Participants begin the challenge with a deck of cards, with each card featuring a unique image of the state.

Players will identify each image, use their instructional manual, and travel to each location in order to continue their quest. After the players reveal the seven Dirigo stones within their manual, they will carefully look throughout the state to find the treasure, which is $20,000 in cash or cash equivalent.

“Looking back on it, one of my favorite moments throughout the whole creation was traveling with a broken foot,” Kurt said. “I was awkwardly hobbling around on crutches, with my camera in hand, and still having a tremendously great time! The broken foot had nothing to do with the game.”

You can read more about this challenge here.