Where’s Waldo? in Fort Smith throughout July

FORT SMITH — The iconic children’s book character Waldo from the “Where’s Waldo?” series is taking a summer trip around the United States. One of his stops is Fort Smith.

People can search for his red and white striped shirt and black-rimmed glasses at 17 local businesses throughout July.

Bookish, downtown at 70 S. Seventh St., will have Waldo passports available for pickup. Participants have until July 29 to find as many Waldos as possible, and if they visit 10 or more businesses, they’ll be entered to win prizes in a drawing July 30.

Participating businesses include: Fort Smith Coffee Co., Phat Tire Bike Shop, Olen & Co., Timeless Oddities and Curiosities, Amazing Graze, Gallery on Garrison, Hazel’s Haven, Edible Ideaz, Yeagers Hardware, Sweetbay, Fort Smith Museum of History, Snoopers Barn, North Shore Hawaiian Ice, Fort Smith Regional Art Museum, Bliss Cupcakes, the Levit Music Festival and Bookish.

The event is organized by Candlewick Press and the American Booksellers Association, who have teamed with independent bookstores across the country for 10 years to encourage residents to shop at their local businesses and have some hide-and-seek fun.

Martin Handford’s collections of crowd scenes took the world by storm in the late 1980s, and since then more than 78 million Waldo books have been sold worldwide, making this event something several generations can enjoy.

Call Bookish at (479) 434-8631 for more information about hunting for Waldo in Fort Smith.