(PUEBLO, Colo.) — After almost two weeks of hunting through the steel city, St. Nick’s Holiday Pepper was finally found.
Pueblo’s Jingle Bell Rock was met with a bit of controversy, before people came together to take back the tradition.
Ever since the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce posted their first teaser video, announcing a new contest was happening, people started taking interest. But, what many don’t know is how quickly it came together.
“We went straight from the planning meeting outside to doing the teaser video,” said Duane Nava, president and CEO of the Chamber. “I mean, that’s how quick things were moving.”
“It was just kind of a fluke,” added Nick Donovan, the voice of Pueblo.
Then, after that first pepper seed was planted, St. Nick’s Holiday Pepper Hunt instantly sprouted.
“It was about the people of Pueblo. It was about Nick Donovan. It wasn’t about anything else. So, you know, being able to stay focused on that made it a lot easier to make this happen,” Nava said.
Thousands of people jumped on board to support not only the contest, but Donovan.
“You got all kinds of people that, you have no idea who they are, that are standing up for me, that makes a guy feel really good,” said Donovan.
This year, the contest tried out some new things that hadn’t been done before in a prior scavenger hunt.
“What made it fun was we simplified it a lot by showing you what to look for right off the bat,” Donovan said. “And, putting the clues on [Facebook] that would stay up so you didn’t have to, you know, just focus right around the radio. It kind of brought a different parameter to it when you didn’t have to just hear it at exactly the right time.”
An outpouring of continued support from local sponsors helped the contest continue to flourish.
“My phone just started ringing off the hook day and night from 8 a.m. until… sometimes 11:00 at night with people wanting to be a part of this,” Nava said.
The Chamber said they are hoping this contest will have a lasting impact for local businesses.
“We picked these exclusive sponsors where we put these exclusive clues in their windows, which is great for those businesses,” Nava said.
They also hope this helps more people get out into their communities and meet others in the Steel City.
“The clues that I do maybe lead people the wrong way sometimes, but they may see part of Pueblo they’ve never seen. They may see some new stuff,” Donovan said.
For one couple, the clues led them to Bandera Parkway, and a $16,000 prize along with multiple other winnings. To top it off, the Pueblo Chamber is donating $5,000 to United Way.
The Pueblo Chamber did also tease there may be some exciting new things involving hiding peppers next year.
