Inaugural ‘Swamp Monster Hunt’ canceled, again

By Patrick Lynn

Plans for an adults-only nighttime flashlight hunt have been benched for the second time, with no plans to reschedule.

Michael Vangelov, director of support services for the Samoset Council, last year announced the event as a fundraiser for the Boy Scouts of America. The first-ever “Swamp Monster Hunt” was targeting young adults for a nighttime “hunt” for plastic eggs using flashlights at Iverson Park. Each egg would be assigned a number that corresponded to a prize.

But the 2021 event was postponed after the Council had difficulty finding volunteers. Vangelov said the organization had the same problem this year, forcing them to again table the event indefinitely.

“Unfortunately, just did not get the traction and did not hit certain benchmarks for success that we needed,” Vangelov said by email last week. “If we do something as an organization it needs to be of high quality and successful.”

The website has been frozen from any new registrations. Vangelov said the organization is notifying everyone who has registered for the event and issuing full refunds.

Lisa Satayut, assistant development director for the Council, said the organization hopes to increase its number of staff and volunteers so it can hold the event in the future.

The fundraiser was intended to help support camperships, scholarships, and expanded Scout programs across the region, Vangelov said, adding that last year, the Samoset Council awarded $49,000 in local academic scholarships.