Treasures in the Sand

‘The Wild West’

September 8 & 9, 2023

 

Our 15th annual Treasures in the Sand was held September 8 & 9, 2023 at Sudbury Beach in Penticton, BC on beautiful Skaha Lake.

This year’s theme was “THE WILD WEST” 

The Friday night hunt had 44 participants, the most ever for Treasures in the Sand.  We had 67 participants for the all day Saturday hunts. Thanks to our MC for the day, club Treasurer, Syd Birch. Big thanks to all club members for making this years hunt a great success. Our hunts are such a success because of you all. 
 
 
The proceeds of this years donation from the WestJet ticket raffle went to Penticton Academy of Music.  They have requests for $12000 worth of bursaries which they will be able to accommodate with the proceeds from last year and this year!! A sincere thank you to all the individual and corporate contributors. We appreciate your generosity. 
 
The winner of the WestJet “Gift of Flight” tickets was Zeena Zaiyouna.  Congratulations!
 
 
In memory of Bob Shabatura, Ken Dewerson donated a Garrett detector,  All participants were entered in the draw honouring our good friend and fellow detector, Bob.  The detector was won by Linda Sexsmith. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MAJOR PRIZE WINNERS
 
 
Friday Night Winner…
Dan Dawson –  Pin Pointer
 
 
 
Saturday Winners…
Michael MacKenzie – Garrett 200i
Rudy van Berkel – XP Dues 
Eric Sommerville – Nokta 
Jeff Fisher  – Fisher F44
 
 
A very, VERY special thanks to all our sponsors: GPS Central, Fred’s Gold Panning & Mining Supplies, Canadian Treasure Seekers, First Texas ProductsGarrett Metal Detectors and Elite Auto Centre.  And, of course, WestJet.
 
~all photos by Carole Snider
 
 
 
 

We couldn’t do this without the support of our amazing sponsors!

 

 
 

 

Treasures in the Sand

‘Sand Wars-Return of the Metal Detectors’

September 9 & 10, 2022

 

Our 14th annual Treasures in the Sand was held September 9 & 10, 2022 at Sudbury Beach in Penticton, BC on beautiful Skaha Lake.

This year’s theme was “SAND WARS – RETURN OF THE METAL DETECTORS” –  with special guests Chewbacca & Storm Trooper and of course, R2D2 (huge thanks to creator Michael MacKenzie). R2 was a huge hit!

We had 30 participants for the Friday night hunt and 67 participants for the all day Saturday hunts. Thanks to our MC for the day, club President, Ken Dewerson. Thanks to Bryan & Kirstin Legouilloux for doing such an awesome job with the Twoonie Hunt. Thanks to Karen MacKenzie our fabulous hunt master.  And thank you to all who helped set up and tear down.  Our hunts are such a success because of you all. 
 
 
The proceeds of $6900+ from the WestJet ticket raffle went to Penticton Academy of Music.   Big shout out to club member Rudy Jamrichko who sold 5 books! The auction was a great success as well.  A sincere thank you to all the individual and corporate contributors. We appreciate your generosity. 
 
This years hunt was in memory of Jim Tennant, a long time club member. Every participant was entered into a draw for a 1/2 Troy Pound American Eagle coin donated by club member Bob Shabatura.   Jim’s children, Rick & Cari were in attendance and shared some great metal detecting stories about their beloved Dad with us. They also drew the winning ticket.  Club member Ken Dewersen won the coin. Thank you so much Bob, for the donation.
 
 
MAJOR PRIZE WINNERS
 
 
Kathryn McCourt –  WestJet Ticket Raffle
 
 
Friday Night Winner…
Chris Kasper – Fisher Pin Pointer
 
Saturday Winners…
Derek Hill – XP ORX
Adam Morley – Garrett Ace 300
Eric Summerville – Garrett AT Gold
Jacob Kasper – Fisher F22
Mike Kosman – Minelab Equinox 800
 
 
 
 

 

A very, VERY special thanks to all our sponsors: GPS Central, Fred’s Gold Panning & Mining Supplies, Canadian Treasure Seekers, First Texas ProductsGarrett Metal Detectors and Elite Auto Centre.  And, of course, WestJet.

 

 

 

 

Treasures In The Sand – 2021

Our 13th annual Treasures in the Sand was held Saturday, September 11, 2021 at Sudbury Beach in Penticton, BC on beautiful Skaha Lake.  Again, this year our annual hunt was trimmed down due to the pandemic but it was a wonderful day and a huge congratulations and thank you to all who made it  happen.   The WestJet raffle tickets completely sold out!  Yay!  The silent auction was a great success.  

The final hunt of the day was in memory of our friend Bob Omand.  His daughter, Corrine Omand presented all the participants with a T-shirt with Bob’s famous metal detecting mantra.  Check out the group photos.  The hunt gave us all a moment to reflect on our friend and how much he is missed. 

Major Prize Winners:

Winner of WestJet Trip for Two – Marc-Antoine Ladeiro, Kelowna BC

Winner of Draw for Gold Coin: Dan Dawson

Special Prize Winners:

Harvey Moore: Minelab GoFind 22

Dan Potts:  $100. Earls Gift Certificate

Dan Potts: Garrett Pin Pointer

Brett Johnson: $100.00

Michael MacKenzie: Minelab Gofind 44

Lek Bodowan: Fisher Metal Detector

Syd Birch: $100.00

Rick Robison: 2011 Special Addition Silver Dollar

 

Mini Treasures In The Sand 2020

Our 12th annual Treasures in the Sand was held September 12, 2020 at Powell Beach in Summerland, BC on beautiful Okanagan Lake.  This year our annual hunt was trimmed down due to the pandemic and all things considered, it was a great day with 20 participants.

The day consisted of a morning hunt, followed by lunch and then an afternoon hunt.  Prizes included silver coins,  hats, t-shirts & a major prize.

The Major Prize winner was:

  • Paul Snider – Garrett Pro-Pointer AT

And, the highlight of day, the WESTJET raffle ticket was drawn at the end of the day for round-trip tickets for two anywhere WESTJET flies. Special thanks, as always, to WestJet for their support.

Congratulations to winner James Potts, of Maple Ridge, BC.

 

 

 

 

Treasures In The Sand 2019

Our 11th annual Treasures in the Sand was held on Sept 6 & 7, 2019, at Sudbury Beach on Skaha Lake in Penticton, BC and was filled with hunts based on the theme of “Surfin Safari”.

It all started Friday night with 30 hunters participating in the “Let’s Go Trippin” fun hunt, which saw many wonderful prizes given out, including a Garrett Pro Finder AT to Syd Birch.

On Saturday the weather couldn’t have been better and after enjoying coffee, muffins and treats, a total of 62 adults and 2 youth had the chance to participate in two 30 minute hunts called “I Get Around” and “Walk, Don’t Run”. Both hunts had lots of clad coin & tokens for Metal Detectors, Pinpointers, Silver & other prizes. Everyone then got to relax and enjoy a wonderful lunch before taking part in a 45 minute hunt called Wipeout”, where many more tokens for silver and prizes were found.

The Sand Dollar Hunt ran all day with many hunters coming back time and again to try and find tokens for prizes and other goodies buried in the sand. Others took part in the Silver raffle draws or enjoyed getting in on the Silent Auction items where there was the ever popular “Treasures in the Sand Chest” to be won.

And still others took part in a new fun “Club Hunt” that as the name indicated, had one member nominated to participate from each of the 5 different metal detecting clubs attending the hunt.  The objective was to find as many pennies in a small hunt area (or so they thought). However, Carolynn Tennant, who designed the rules of the fun hunt, had a few twists in mind! After 10 minutes (due to high winds) Cassandra Augustynowicz found the FEWEST pennies and was awarded a Silver Half Dollar and a fantastic trophy designed and built by Syd Birch.  Syd used an old sand scoop, attached a trophy base, glued various finds in the bottom of the scoop and painted the whole thing GOLD!  Other prizes handed out: 2nd place (who found the only US penny planted): Kim Leavertt – SWATH – awarded Silver Quarter and 3rd place (who found the MOST pennies): Duncan Bell – NWTHC – awarded Silver Quarter, Dennis Augustynowicz – WCTHC – awarded a Loonie, Greg DeGagne – OTHC – awarded a Loonie

The Major Prize winners from the Saturday hunt were:

  • Brian Doctor – Fisher F44  Metal Detector
  • Gradon Friedt – Garrett AT-Max Metal Detector
  • James Friedt – White’s Classic Coinmaster Metal Detector
  • Michael MacKenzie – Minelab X-Terra 305 Metal Detector
  • Sherry Bell – Garrett Pro Pointer AT
  • Glenn Harrison – Minelab Pro Find

*Winner of the special draw for all Registered Contestants: Rick Robison – Viola Desmond Commemorative Coin set

And, of course, one of the biggest highlights of the day was the draw for 2 round trip tickets to anywhere WESTJET travels, as well as $250 provided to the winner to be used towards the taxes. The lucky winner of the WestJet Tickets was Corrine Omand from Kelowna, BC, and 100% of the net proceeds from the draw ($4,100) will be donated to the Penticton Regional Hospital. 

And a big “thank you” also goes to the Detector manufacturers for their contributions to our hunt (Minelab Metal Detectors, Garrett Metal Detectors, White’s Metal Detectors and Fisher Metal Detectors), as well as to all who came from near and far to make this hunt so much fun!

 

Treasures In The Sand 2018

Our 10th annual Treasures in the Sand was held on Sept 7 & 8, 2018.

For the ​10th​ anniversary (our “tin” anniversary), we were transported to the Land of Oz with Dorothy and her friends. With a little imagination, our usual hunting grounds at Sudbury Beach on Skaha Lake in Penticton was transformed into a (sandy) Yellow Brick Road. We had a crowd of about 125 people at our tenth year, some of whom have been attending since the first year!

Debbie Smikoski, the Business Development Director at Minelab, was a special guest at the event and gave our attendees helpful advice on using their equipment. We are grateful to all of the Detector manufacturers for their contribution to our hunt: Garrett, White’s, Tesoro, Fisher, and Minelab.

Detectorists began hunting in the dark on Friday night. They detected valiantly through a drizzle of rain and a haze of smoke. The rain, fortunately, was just what we needed to clear away the remaining smoke from the summer’s fires. Saturday turned out to have the perfect weather for metal detecting. Detectorists participated in three hunts throughout the day: The Scare Crow, Tin Man, and Lion hunts. Waiting to be found were many clad coins and prize tokens. The Wicked Witch of the West hid the coins so well that many were still left over at the end of the day!

Aside from the hunts, entrants had many other fun opportunities to explore. The Vernon Placer Miners Club offered gold panning; the Sand Dollar Hunt ran all day, and the sand dollars collected could be used to purchase prizes and even be used like real money for the silent auction and other events! We also had a “Wheel of Fortune” and a silent auction with over 40 items. We conducted more raffles for silver coins and bars this year. Once more, WestJet graciously donated two tickets to anywhere they fly, with 100% of the net proceeds from raffle ticket sales donated to the Penticton Regional Hospital.  The lucky winner of the tickets was Rick Ponich of West Kelowna. To date, we have donated $37,300 to the Penticton Regional Hospital! 

The major prize winners from the Saturday hunt were:

Eric Somerville – Fisher F44
Keli Graves – White’s Treasure Pro
Bob Omand -Tesoro Cibola
James Friedt – Minelab 705 Dual pack
Alecia Jamrichko – Garrett AT Pro
Maggie St-Hilaire – Garrett Pro Pointer

A special Draw for a Minelab Go Find was also held for all registered contestants and was won by Raylene Bremner.

During closing ceremonies, attendees were treated to a special performance by Dorothy and the munchkin: a special rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow with lyrics all about the hobby we love: metal detecting! The whimsy of the Wizard of Oz theme made this year especially memorable. We cannot wait to see you all again next year!

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Treasures In The Sand 2017

Our 9th annual Treasures in the Sand was held on Sept 8 & 9, 2017, at Sudbury Beach on Skaha Lake in beautiful Penticton, BC.

This year’s hunt started in the dark with a night hunt on Friday – lots of fun. Saturday was a little windy, but warm & the sun did finally break through. After morning coffee and treats, there were two 30 minute hunts with lots of clad coin & tokens for Metal Detectors, Silver & other prizes, followed by a scrumptious catered lunch. The afternoon hunt was the “Sharon Vodarek Memorial Treasure Hunt”.

This year, entrants were also given the opportunity by the Vernon Placer Miners Club, to try their hand at gold panning.  The new Sand Dollar Hunt ran all day and the sand dollars collected could be used to purchase prizes and other goodies. Others took part in the Silent Auction or enjoyed getting their photos taken at the photo booth.

Once again the Silent Auction had some fantastic treasures and there was the ever popular “Treasures in the Sand Chest” & special prizes.  Everyone also really seemed to enjoy the Raffle for Silver Coins & Silver Bars.  And the final highlight was the draw for 2 fully paid, round trip air flights, to wherever WESTJET travels, with 100% of the net proceeds ($4,000) donated to the Penticton Regional Hospital. The lucky winner of the WestJet Tickets was Deb Jones of West Kelowna, BC.

The Major Prize winners from the Saturday hunt were:

Ken Kilborn – White’s Treasure Pro Detector
Brett Johnson – Garrett Ace 250 Detector
Brett Cheney – Fisher F44 Detector
Keli Graves- Tesoro Cibola Detector
Ron Aldridge- Garrett Pinpointer
Syd Birch – Garrett Pinpointer
Dennis Webb – Sharon Vodarek Memorial Prize Coin Set

Thanks to all who came from near and far to make this hunt so much fun. Looking forward to next year’s hunt, when we celebrate our 10th year!

 

Treasures In The Sand 2016

Our 8th annual Treasures in the Sand was held on Sept 9 & 10, 2016, at Sudbury Beach on Skaha Lake in beautiful Penticton, BC. And this year’s hunt theme was “The Buried Treasures of the Pirates of the Okanagan”.

We included a Friday night hunt again called “Blackbeard’s Fun Hunt” and entertained 35 hunters who managed to find all the buried treasures in the dark.

On Saturday, 67 hunters took part in 2 hunts in the morning (“Black Bart’s Lost Treasure” and “Long John Silver’s Booty”), which included clad coin, silver and prize tokens. We all then stopped to enjoy a wonderully catered lunch and then were off to the 3rd and final hunt in the afternoon (“Calico Jack’s Cursed Coins”), which included clad coin, silver and lots of surprises.

Throughout the day, others took part in the Silent Auction, as well as the Toonie Hunt.

The Major Prize winners from the Saturday hunt were:

Samantha Tarbet – Garrett Ace 250 Detector
Ken Emmons – Tesoro Detector
Rudy Jamrichko – Whites Detector
Bret Cheney – Garrett Pinpointer
Bev Sharer – Garrett Pinpointer
Mike Potts – HNZ Topflight Helicopter Flight

We once again sold WestJet raffle tickets, with all proceeds donated to the Penticton hospital, bringing our donated grand total this year to $28,870.00. The lucky winner of the WestJet Tickets was Laura Jaster of Peachland, BC.

Thanks to all who helped out at this year’s hunt and here’s to making next year’s hunt even better.

 

Treasures In The Sand 2015

Our 7th annual Treasures in the Sand was held on Sept 11 & 12, 2015, back at Sudbury Beach on Skaha Lake in beautiful Penticton, BC, and the weather couldn’t have been better.

We included a Friday night fun hunt again this year with quite a few registered hunters. A major prize of a Pin Pointer was handed out, with many other smaller prizes, all of which were won by those who found the most “interesting” of buried items that turned out to be tokens.

This year’s hunt also had a Vegas theme (Treasures in the Sand: Vegas North) and many people enjoyed trying their luck with the roll of the dice or the spinning of the wheel to win various types of silver coins. Others took part in the Silent Auction, as well as the Toonie Hunt and it was amazing the prizes that people walked away with.

The first and second hunts of the day on Saturday included clad coin, silver and prize tokens. After a wonderful catered lunch a third hunt was held that included clad coins, tokens for silver and lots of surprises.

The Major Prize winners from the Saturday hunt were:

Maretta Saulnier – Minelab Safari Detector
Ori Roth – Garrett Pro Pointer
Thomas Brown – Tesoro Silver U Max
Clay Soliday – Garrett Ace 250
Ken Emmons – Whites Prism
Paul Snider – Garrett Pro Pointer

We once again sold WestJet raffle tickets, with all proceeds donated to the Penticton hospital. The lucky winner of the WestJet Tickets was Tracy Redman, Nanaimo BC. She was reached by phone at the hunt and was overjoyed to find out she had won.

A presentation was also made on Saturday by one of the hunters from out of town. While staying in Penticton they found a ring while detecting and were able to return it to its rightful owners who joined us on the beach for the presentation.

All in all, a great bunch of hunters came out and made the 7th annual Treasures in the Sand one to remember! Hope to see you all again next year!!

 

Treasures In The Sand 2014

Our 6th annual Treasures in the Sand, held September 5 & 6, 2014, has now come and gone, months and months of planning and replanning and in two days, history!

This year we changed our venue.  We added a Friday fun hunt and over 50% of registered guests took part, with the major prize of a White’s Pin Pointer going to Raylene Bremner.

The Major Prize winners from the Saturday hunt were:

Sheila Sloan – Garrett Ace 250 and a Garrett Pin Pointer
Ron Sharer – Tesoro Silver Sabre and Whites Metal Detector
Frank Grunert –  Garrett Pinpointer
George Shatko – White’s Bullseye Pinpointer
Hank Vodarek – Minelab X-Terra 350 Detector

When all was said and done we ended up with 102 registrations, and six cancellations for a total of 96 people hunting, two of which were children.

People seemed to enjoy our Silent Auction, as well as the Toonie Hunt.  And many people walked away with great prizes.

We once again sold all 400 WestJet raffle tickets, bringing our total donated amount to the Penticton hospital to $24,400.  The lucky winner of the WestJet Tickets was Jim Hinchcliffe of Winfield, BC, who was also present at the hunt and seemed thoroughly overjoyed.

All in all….it was a great hunt with great people…and we can’t wait to do it all again next year!!

 

Treasures In The Sand 2013

The 5th annual Treasures In The Sand treasure hunt was held September 7, 2013. It was a cloudy day with a few rain showers but not enough to dampen the spirits of the club members, participants, and their guests. Club members arrived early at Hulley (Sudbury) Beach to setup the tables and tents for the registration and display of the prizes. Final registration revealed 107 treasure hunters.

After coin planting on the beach, the first hunt was ready to start at 10:30am. There were two morning hunts before the awarding of token prizes and lunch. The lunch prepared by club members was a barbeque burger, chips and a drink for all participants and guests.

After lunch the beach was again seeded with coins and tokens for the third and last hunt of the day. Following the last hunt all tokens were redeemed and we were ready for the closing ceremonies. Major prizes were awarded for the holders of the major prize tokens.

Kevin Smith, from Beadazzled The Rock Shop, drew a ticket from all the registered participants and awarded a Minelab Xterra 705 detector to Roberta Freebody, Max Naranjo won the Minelab Pinpointer, Jerry Russel and Hugh McCardel won the Minelab Backpacks, with Hank Vodarek being the lucky winner of the Minelab Geo Coin.

The winner of the White’s Detector was Rudy Van, Garrett Metal Detector was Ken Emmons and the winners of the Garrett Pro-Pointer were Colin Broughton and Mike Harrison. The White’s Bullseye II was awarded to Maretta Saulnier and Glen Harrison. Brian Doctor was the lucky winner of the Tesoro Metal Detector. The highlight of the day (as if the other prizes were not highlights) was the draw for the two tickets to any of Westjets Destinations and the lucky winner was Matthew Doctor of Burnaby, BC.

Hank Vodarek, Master of Ceremonies, thanked all the participants and invited them back for the September 6, 2014 Treasures In The Sand.