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LEHI — If you see a ceramic swan hidden around northern Utah on any given Saturday, don’t disregard it. You may find a treat hidden inside.
Three brothers who were looking for something fun to do Jan. 23 started a local scavenger hunt called “Swan Saturday,” and it has quickly gained popularity.
When Ben, Adam and Josiah Coughran got together for a brothers weekend, they decided to hide small gifts inside a ceramic swan they found at their parents' house and push it out into the middle of a pond.
They then posted a picture of the swan on a local garage sale Facebook page and invited anyone in the community to find it.
“We just wanted to see if anybody would find it, and they found it almost immediately,” Ben Coughran said. “That was on a Friday, and on the Saturday we decided to do it every hour.”
Throughout the first Saturday, the Coughran brothers hid the swans throughout Lehi and posted a picture of a nearby landmark and a poem that acted as a clue. By the end of the day, more than a hundred men, women and children were searching for the swans, Josiah Coughran said.
“It was a small idea; it kind of spiraled out of control,” said Josiah Coughran, a Washington resident.
At the end of their brothers weekend, the Coughrans decided to create their own Facebook page for Swan Saturday and invite those who found swans to hide their swan with a gift inside it the following Saturday.
Within three weeks, hundreds of people have participated in “Swan Saturday” and it has expanded to Orem, Provo, Spanish Fork, Payson, Ogden, Layton and the Salt Lake City area. Participants have created individual Facebook pages for each city or area.
People are really excited that something new is happening in the community to bring people together.
–Ben Coughran
“I think it’s just fun because a lot of parents try to find things for their kids to do on the weekend when they’re home from school and they can go and do a little scavenger hunt,” Ben Coughran said.
The gifts hidden in the swans have ranged from candy and toys to movies and gift cards. The Coughrans try to specify on Facebook whether each swan is hidden for children, adults or teenagers.
“We ask that anybody who does hide the swans to do the same, that way they know if adults should go find it, if teenagers should go find it or if children should go find it,” Ben Coughran said.
Though many people hide ceramic swans, others have gotten creative and made swans out of tin foil, legos, paper and yarn.
To participate in “Swan Saturday,” visit the Facebook page.
“People are really excited that something new is happening in the community to bring people together,” Ben Coughran said.
