But wait -- what exactly is Dayton Unknown? We stumbled across them on Instagram, thanks to their beautiful, sometimes cryptic photos of well-loved and lesser-known places in Dayton. After admiring their work from afar, we wanted to see who was behind the blog.
Enter Sara McDaniel and Bethany Kmeid. Avid fans of history, both have lived in the Dayton area for some time, sharing a passion for digging up stories and spending hours in the library hunting through historical documents and scouring microfilm. McDaniel, a Kettering native, and Kmeid, who has lived in the Dayton area for 21 years, wanted to share their love for Dayton with fellow Daytonians. This led to the creation of Dayton Unknown.
We talked to McDaniel and Kmeid about the event, which takes place on Worldwide InstaMeet weekend (more on that later). Here's what they had to say.
What is an InstaMeet, and what can people expect from the @daytonunknown Fall Scavenger Hunt?
An InstaMeet is an event for people from the local Instagram community to meet and explore their city through photography. One of the most common InstaMeet activities is a Photo Walk, which consists of walking through a scenic location and taking pictures. Instagram encourages communities all over the world to participate in an Instameet on the same weekend, known as Worldwide InstaMeet. The Dayton Unknown Fall Scavenger Hunt takes place during Worldwide InstaMeet 10. Dayton Unknown's Scavenger Hunt consists of photo challenges designed to encourage the exploration of Cox Arboretum.
How did you come up with the idea for these scavenger hunts?
We felt that a well-planned and structured event like a Scavenger Hunt would inspire people to explore and really appreciate their surroundings. Dayton Unknown's first InstaMeet was a photo walk, and we felt that the format lacked structure and wasn't conducive for much interaction between the hosts and guests. We came up with the idea of a Scavenger Hunt from a co-administrator of @instagram_ahmedabad and loved the idea because it acts as a guided tour of the location, while still allowing the guests freedom to wander.
Why Cox Arboretum?
We chose Cox Arboretum because it is a scenic location that is always changing throughout the seasons. It is an ideal setting due to the fact that it is a large, yet enclosed area that allows us to set up a "home base" so that we can be accessible to answer questions.
You have a successful blog filled with all kinds of interesting information about Dayton. What's the story behind Dayton Unknown?
In January of this year, Sara had the idea of Dayton Unknown as a way to share the "unknown" parts of Dayton. Bethany came into the picture shortly thereafter to help with web design, and eventually started contributing as photographer for the blog. For the past eight months, Sara and Bethany have worked together to build Dayton Unknown into what it is today.
What's the weirdest, strangest or craziest thing you've learned about in this process?
While not strange or crazy, the story of the Hills and Dales Lookout Tower was lost over time. We did a lot of research and found out the real origin of the tower, and the truth behind the legends surrounding it. This is by far our most popular entry on Dayton Unknown.
Want to go?
WHAT: @daytonunknown & Dayton Daily News Fall Scavenger Hunt
WHEN: 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4
WHERE: Cox Arboretum