Where’s Waldo? In La Cañada Flintridge! The iconic children’s book character in the red-and-white-striped shirt and black-rimmed specs is visiting 25 local businesses throughout the LCF community this July.
Find Waldo Local is a free, family-friendly summer activity in the city, which is coordinated by Flintridge Bookstore. It is also a way to support local businesses, including Flintridge Bookstore, Button Nose Pet Grooming & Supply, C2 Education, Constellation Coffee, Glen Pacific Floor Designs, Golden Donut Place, La Cañada Pool & Patio, Round Table Pizza, Small Shop, Dr. Astrid Soergaard Dentistry, Sport Clips Haircuts, The Smoothie Stop, Stepping Stones to Learning, UPS Store, Berge’s Sandwiches, Penelope’s Café, Books & Gallery, and Magikids Robotics Lab.
Starting July 1, anyone who wishes to join the hunt can pick up a “Find Waldo Local in La Cañada Flintridge!” stamp card, which contains the names of all the participating sites, with each Waldo they spot, they can get their card stamped or signed by the participating shop. Waldo has also misplaced his glasses in Flintridge Bookstore, so eagle-eyed hunters can find those as well. Collecting store stamps or signatures at 20 or more businesses will entitle diligent seekers entry into a grand-prize drawing for Waldo books and paraphernalia.
Martin Handford’s collections of crowd scenes took the world by storm in the late 1980s, and since then, the books have held a cherished place on bookstore shelves. More than 80 million Waldo books have been sold worldwide, and they’ve been translated into more than 30 languages.
In celebration of Waldo’s longevity and popularity, Candlewick Press is teaming up with the American Booksellers Association and hundreds of independent bookstores nationwide for some hide-and-seek fun designed to encourage residents to patronize their local businesses. There is no charge to participate, and the hunt lasts for the entire month of July.
For more information about hunting for Waldo in LCF, call Flintridge Bookstore at (818)790-0717, or contact Gail Mishkin at gailm@flintridgebooks.com (818) 790-0717.
First published in the June 29 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
