Families have until 5 p.m. Sunday, August 9, to turn in their scavenger hunt booklets at the Wilmette History Museum and help "find" the missing helmet of Chief Walter Zibble, the village's first full-time fire chief.

The museum's summer scavenger hunt, "The Case of the Missing Fire Chief's Helmet," has sent kids across 24 Wilmette businesses since June 14, collecting stamps and learning about the village's firefighting history along the way. A companion storytime event at the Wilmette Public Library on July 10 hit capacity and required a waitlist.

A real chief, a real mystery

Zibble isn't fictional. He was hired in 1906 to drive the department's horse-drawn hose cart and eventually became Wilmette's first full-time fire chief. The museum's event page describes the hunt as a "Firehouse Mystery" in which junior detectives visit local shops, find a dalmatian mascot named Gilly, and answer questions about Wilmette fire history: what year the department was created, how many horses it had, and what the first two pieces of equipment were.

Once kids collect enough stamps, they bring their booklet to the museum at 609 Ridge Road for a final decoder mission that reveals the helmet's "secret location."

Prizes worth the legwork

The museum structured the hunt in tiers. Ten business visits earn a free personal pizza from Lou Malnati's. Fifteen visits earn a free scoop from Buck Russell's Bakery and Sandwich Shop plus a raffle entry. Families who hit all 24 stops enter both grand prize drawings: a private Wilmette Fire Department tour for the winner and five friends, and a family-of-four Wilmette Beach and Pool Pass from the Wilmette Park District.

The 24 participating businesses span five zones across the village, including stops at Lost Willow Books, Convito Café and Market, Zier's Prime Meats and Poultry, EvaDean's Bakery and Café, and the Wilmette/Kenilworth Chamber of Commerce.

An annual tradition with a new theme each year

The scavenger hunt is a recurring summer program at the museum. Last year's edition asked "How Did Wilmette Get Its Name?" This year's firefighting theme launched at the museum's May 3 Open House, where the Wilmette Fire Department helped kick off the season.

The museum, jointly operated by the Village of Wilmette and the volunteer-run Wilmette Historical Society, is open Sunday through Thursday, 1–4:30 p.m. Admission is free. Booklets are still available at the museum, the Wilmette Public Library at 1242 Wilmette Ave., or at wilmettehistory.org.

One returning participant commented on the museum's July 22 Instagram post:

"We're enjoying the scavenger hunt again this year! 🚒 we're also learning a little about the history of our village!"

The museum posted on Instagram on July 22 that it was "so excited seeing all the families participate." The deadline to submit completed booklets is 5 p.m. Sunday, August 9, at 609 Ridge Road.