Skip to content

Santa Claus escape room planned for Pritchard Hall

Players must find their way out of three puzzle-filled rooms
19454242_web1_copy_192019-SAA-Santa-escape
Kara Jones puzzles over the construction of Pritchard Hall’s Christmas escape room on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. (Photo submitted)

The Pritchard Hall is reprising a popular puzzle solving game, an escape room centered around Santa Claus’ workshop.

“You can’t bring home every neglected and forgotten toy hoping somewhere, someday, someone is going to ask for it and you can regift it,” reads an excerpt written by Mrs. Claus to her husband. “One day they will not be able to find you buried under all those toys.”

Read more: Cannabis production company announces plans for Chase facility

Read more: Eagles tribute band to headline concert in Chase

So goes the description for the Pritchard Hall escape room that will run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from Nov. 30 to Jan. 5.

Friday and Saturday groups attempt to go through the rooms at 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. while on Sunday groups start their escape at 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

This is not the first time Pritchard Hall has challenged people to escape its walls. A Halloween-themed escape room served as the idea’s successful trial run, built from the ground up by craftsperson and seamstress Linda Appleby.

Appleby was approached with the idea in order to create more community involvement and create she did. The first Halloween escape room brought in 38 people, a number Appleby considers a remarkable success given the small amount of advertising the event received.

Read more: Chase seeks public input on silencing train whistles

Read more: UPDATE: Home badly damaged in Chase mobile home park fire

The journey is divided into three separate rooms, a candy/Christmas treats room, the forgotten toy workshop and Santa’s administration centre.

“They have to do a lot of thinking to get out. There’s lots of different puzzles and ways to get out and locks to work, but it is child friendly,” Appleby said.

Appleby is assisted by her daughter-in-law Kora Jones, who helps brainstorm the puzzles for each room.

Two to six people make up a group. To preregister, call 250-463-1920.


@CameronJHT
Cameron.thomson@saobserver.net

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.