One Massachusetts town’s longstanding tradition still continues to bring the community together every year.
Since 1922, the town of Athol has been hosting its annual George Washington Hatchet Hunt.
The annual tradition started more than 100 years ago when town resident Johnnie Johnstone hid a single hatchet in the woods, exemplifying teachings of the country’s first president, George Washington.
Through the years, the hunt has provided the area’s youth to take part in an activity “based on honesty and integrity,” a release for the event said. It is hosted every Presidents Day.
On Monday, the event saw a huge turnout of families and volunteers, despite the cold and icy weather after a weekend storm.
These days, the prize hunt has evolved beyond one hatchet. Kids can win more than 50 prizes.
Instead of an actual hatchet hidden in the woods, the main hunt area of Athol Community Elementary School had prize tags hidden throughout.
Kids 15 years and younger were tasked with setting off in the ice and snow to find the hidden tags, hoping to exchange the tags with prizes, including bicycles, headphones, toy games and soccer nets. The most coveted prizes were the three hatchets that symbolize the start of the tradition 103 years ago.
See a recap of the Presidents Day hunt below.
Father and daughter Clinton and Gracie Daniels are no strangers to giving back to the community, as the two are involved with Boy Scouts of America Troop 40 in Orange.
However, this was their first year volunteering at the hatchet hunt, seeing first hand what the tradition means.
“It’s giving back and you know, having a good time. Everyone gets cooped up all winter long. We got everyone out here chomping through the snow and the cold and the wind,” Clinton Daniels told MassLive about the turnout.
Gracie Daniels noted that the event has allowed her to become more familiar with those in the community.
“I live kind of in a rural area, so I don’t see a whole bunch of people,” she said. “I even recognized a girl here that I did a Vacation Bible School program with.”
With the excitement of the hunt, those at the event also enjoyed a warm fire put on by the Athol Fire Department, cookies, hot chocolate and hot dogs.
