ROCKFORD, Mich. — There's a manhunt in West Michigan. The character on the loose was last seen wearing a red and white striped shirt. He's been identified as Waldo.
Information on his whereabouts can earn you a reward.
A couple of local bookstores — Epilogue Books in Rockford and Plumfield Books in Ada — are participating in the nationwide Find Waldo campaign.
They are two of just 300 bookstores across the country involved in the search. For Epilogue Books, this is the third year they've made the cut.
"It's a big deal," said the store's co-owner Valerie Burkholder. "It's a shop local event. The stores love it because, while the kids are looking for Waldo, Mom and Dad, or Grandma and Grandpa, are shopping. I've had multiple businesses tell me that it brings them new business that they haven't seen before."
For those who want to join in on the fun, you begin your search at the hosting bookstore.
For example, people in Rockford should show up to Epilogue Books. There, you'll be given a passport with all 27 participating businesses.
Once you find Waldo in each store, you will collect a stamp in the corresponding square before you move on to the next spot.
"If you find 10 of the Waldos, you can bring it back to our store, Epilogue Books, and get a '$1 Off Waldo Coupon' and a temporary tattoo," Burkholder said. "If you find at least 20 of the 27 Waldos, then you can bring your passport back to us. You put your name and phone number on it, and we'll put it in for a drawing. In that drawing, there are Waldo books that were provided by the publisher. Then there are all kinds of gifts from the different establishments in Rockford. There are gift cards there. There's items from stores, a bunch of donations, so we'll probably have about three gift baskets that we'll draw randomly from those passports."
The nationwide Find Waldo event lasts through the month of July. Then, on August 5, Epilogue Books will host a 'We Found Waldo Party.'
Plumfield Books in Ada will hold its celebration on July 29.
As Burkholder explained, this search for Waldo, while fun, is also just a vehicle to promote shopping locally.
“Local businesses need support from the community in order to survive," she said. "It's our way of helping send that message home.”