Race for The Rock, By Paul Kessler

Race for The Rock, By Paul Kessler

June 5th marked the second annual Race for the Rock, put on by Rogers Jewelry Co. in support of Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.

This year, more than 400 individuals participated in the citywide scavenger hunt, where clues were sent from a database to the contestants’ cell phones. All of the contestants strapped on their safety gear, donned their light blue t-shirts and rode all over downtown Sacramento trying to find the grand prize, a Hearts on Fire diamond ring, valued at over $20,000.

Different clues were sent to different phones to avoid participants following one another and each text messaged-clue sent the contestants to many Sacramento landmarks. Stops included the Raley Field, the courthouse, Old Sacramento and the Sacramento Convention Center.

My mom and long term SFBFS volunteer Mary Kessler shared her experience. “I got to see so much of the city that I didn’t even know was there! I was really excited to find out that Sacramento had a Chinatown”

In fact, she continued to talk about the event for the next few days, telling my brother and me about different landmarks around the city that she and my dad had not even seen before.

The event lasted just two hours but from my mom’s stories, I would have thought it lasted the entire day.

Starting on the steps of the Capitol at 10 a.m., the Race concluded with an after party at House Restaurant & Bar around noon, where the winners were announced.

“The final hint was for everyone to meet at 55th and Capitol, and when we got there, everyone was coming from different directions, all in the blue shirts, it was so cool,” my mom said.

While my parents didn’t come home with any diamonds, they did manage to get a $20 gift card to the Grange Restaurant.

It seems to me like this could be the next emerging event that SFBFS has to offer, after the well known Run to Feed the Hungry, and I can’t wait until next year when I can participate in the 3rd annual Race for the Rock.