On Wednesday afternoon, California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State) students, faculty, staff and alumni were invited to attend the Warriors Explore Downtown event that took place in Downtown Turlock from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This was Stan State’s third annual event that gave participants the opportunity to explore the historic downtown area of Turlock and enjoy its amenities.
Stan State student, Vanessa Ledesma (senior/Sociology), shared her experience.
“It was fun being with my old roommate and exploring downtown, especially since it was her first time,” Ledesma said.
“I’m not from Turlock, but I was able to see the different stores downtown Turlock offers since it’s a much smaller city than where I am from.”
Since most of Downtown Turlock is made up of small shops, restaurants, bars, and boutiques, the event was helpful in giving businesses recognition and helping them meet members around the community that may be interested in visiting these small businesses.            
Participants were given $5 meal vouchers that could be redeemed at participating businesses that were listed on a hand-out flyer. Local businesses shared with students their complementary Stan State student discounts offered.
There were several mini booths where Stan State Warriors could stop at before the photo scavenger hunt. A variety of booths were set up such as spray paint art, pennant flag decorating, message in a bottle, Giant Jenga and more.
The photo scavenger hunt was the main activity from the event and began from Central Park in Downtown Turlock through Main Street. The hunt required participants to find at least ten of the thirty-two businesses that were listed on a flyer, snap a photo of the business and receive a signature/stamp on a passport to prove they went inside the business.
In order to identify the businesses that were participating, red and yellow balloons were placed outside the small businesses.
The rewards for the scavenger hunt were a chance to enter into a drawing that consisted of a $50 Toys “R” Us gift card, a pair of concert tickets, a bike and more. If participants shared their photos on Instagram with the hashtag, #WARRIORSEXPLOREDT, the best photo would receive a $25 gift card for a Downtown restaurant of their choice.
Being that Stan State is a commuter school, most students never venture out into the community that they receive their education in.
Jhielyn Patague (sophomore/Pre-Nursing) decided to find out what the hype was about at this event.
“It was my first time attending Warriors Explore Downtown. I thought the music, activity booths and the scavenger hunt made it a really fun experience,” Patague said.
Patague’s favorite part was exploring and visiting the variety of different stores.
To view photos taken at the event follow, search the hashtag #WARRIORSEXPLOREDT on Instagram.