Whoever takes home these boxes may have a hard time justifying their bid, as they must work to decipher the first puzzle that allows them just to get the boxes open.
Once they do get it open, that mental anguish will have paid off.
These tricky boxes are the Sun City Woodchucks’ creation for the silent auction fundraiser organized by the Friends Foundation of the Huntley Area Public Library District.
After puzzling over it, Woodchucks Bert Stohs (left) and Don Keene turned a box of puzzles and parlor games into a puzzle itself, operated by the three knobs seen on the box top. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
Bidding is open, and boxes will be displayed through February 29. Money raised goes toward improvements to the library and funding for programming.
Other than a standardized size, the Woodchucks were given little more than a plain box and vague instructions like “be creative.”
This left them a lot of room to work with.
“My idea was at that point to somehow make a puzzle box, make the box itself a puzzle, and we went from there,” Bert Stohs N.13 resident, Woodchuck, and friend of the library, said.
Once the project got rolling, more members wanted to create their own puzzles. The finished box now holds 11 puzzles inside, not including that initial lock. The puzzles inside appeal to a range of ages and skill levels.
“There are some actual puzzles that fit in a box, like a bunch of [pieces] that you take them out and you say, ‘Fit these into a box.’ And it’s not that simple, necessarily,” Stohs said.
Knobs on the box top manipulate a series of cranks (shown to the left) that unlock the box. Once opened, it’s revealed to be two boxes in one and features numerous 'puzzles within the puzzle' and games. More than 40 hours went into its design and production. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
Another puzzle works similarly to a magic trick, where one person deciphers which number etched on a piece of wood the other person drew out of 100 pieces.
Others are for younger audiences, like the puzzle that features an oval shape cut into about eight pieces from which children can make different types of birds.
The sheer number of puzzles created by the Woodchucks gave their entry another distinction: it is actually two boxes. The two boxes, which are both the standard size of 3″x9″x12″, are stacked on top of each other.
The contents of these boxes are interesting enough, but if the motto of the auction is “think outside the box,” then the Woodchucks certainly spent their time working on the box’s exterior.
“Bert had the idea, and I asked him did he have a method for dressing up the outside of the box? And he said, well no, he didn’t,” Don Keene, N.27 resident and Woodchuck, said.
“He was trying to think of something, and I suggested a veneer on the outside. And he thought that would be a neat idea,” Keene added. “So I said ‘Alright, I’ll fix the box. You prepare what goes inside it.'”
Keene estimates he spent about 40 hours working on the boxes’ veneers. Each box features a glossy squared pattern with about 150 squares of equal size used to cover the surfaces.
These pieces are made of seven different types of hardwood: pear, osage orange, chechen, cocobolo, purple heart, maple, and bloodwood.
That patterned veneer is all viewers can see of the Woodchucks’ puzzle boxes, as each entry is wrapped and displayed on a table at the library.
Every box had its own unique qualities, reflecting its makers’ individual tastes. There were the pop culture tributes: boxes featuring Elvis Presley, Scrabble pieces, Chicago sports teams, and the characters of the “Twilight” series.
Others were more abstract. There was a box complete with a set of items for a newborn. One box was surrounded by a giant stuffed blue octopus. Another one was like a tea survivalist kit, boasting several packets and varieties in a neatly organized compartment.
Another box created by the Sun City Sunflower Garden Club featured plenty of green and served as a crafted ode to gardening.
“Some people pick up on the book theme. I was surprised that more of them didn’t come in looking like books, because that just seemed sort of like a natural thing. But I’m thrilled that they didn’t; that they’re all different,” Pamela Kampwerth, volunteer outreach coordinator for the library, said.
The uniqueness of each box is key to the auction’s success. If each is able to attract bidders’ eyes based on niche appeal, it has a better shot of helping the library raise funds.
“Sometimes I tell people it’s hard to explain to them what it is, so I say, ‘Think about Cows on Parade, how they were all different and their own little work of art, and that’s what these are like,’” Kampwerth said.
Those interested in the boxes can take a look for themselves, as they will be on display through February 29. They can also be viewed at www.huntleylibraryfriends.org/2012-library-lovers-fundraiser.
