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What’s a better way to say welcome to LaGrange, than with a scavenger hunt? On Thursday, LaGrange College and the Downtown LaGrange Development Authority hosted their second annual scavenger hunt for incoming freshmen at the college.

Lily Hamilton, director of promotions and marketing for DLDA, said the scavenger hunt was created to welcome students to the city.

“We are out here today to welcome the college students to LaGrange and to make them feel welcomed and feel comfortable in a new town,” Hamilton said. “The city that students attend college in plays a big role in shaping their years in college. So, I want them to have a wonderful experience and to know that they are valued and welcomed here. We’re excited that they’re here and look forward to seeing all the amazing things they will do.”

Dr. John Head, vice president for enrollment management and student experience, said one of the first things he heard from people in the community is they want a closer connection between students and downtown LaGrange.

“We approached Lilly and Bill last year with the idea of bringing in all the students downtown to let them do an activity there that would allow them to do something where they could meet the shop owners and explore downtown LaGrange. They hit a home run planning this thing, and it’s been a joy to work with them,” Head said.

“Our students have really enjoyed it. We had a lot of students talking about how friendly the people were and all the fun they had going into the shops. With all the positive responses to the scavenger hunt, we knew it was something we had to repeat. We are so excited to be back down here again for year two.”

Head said this year’s scavenger hunt has been going well.

“We met the students up on campus at 10 o’clock and told them about what happened last year, and they got really excited about it. We marched down Broad Street together and jumped into the hunt. We had Quay Boddie, who is a super motivational guy with us, and he did a great job welcoming everybody,” Head said.

Hamilton said the best part about putting on the scavenger hunt is the joy the students get from participating in it.

“The best part is seeing the reactions the students have when they finish with the scavenger hunt and head back up to campus. They are excited and so happy. The shop owners are so excited to meet the students and to welcome them personally to the area,” Hamilton said.

Dr. Susanna Baxter, president of LaGrange College, said introducing students to the city is important, as it allows them to learn more about LaGrange and all the opportunities they may not know about.

“The scavenger hunt helps them connect with downtown and realize the beauty of this community. Some of them didn’t know about LaGrange until they came to LaGrange College,” Baxter said. “Now, they get to know the area and maybe decide that this is a place they want to live and raise their families. This is the first start of understanding all that LaGrange has to offer within a short walk of campus.”