The Toledo City Paper depends on readers like you! Become a friend today. See membership options
Last year Nick You, Perrysburg native and University of Findlay student, sought what Greg Lukasik had hidden, and he won prizes. This year, he’s out looking during the second annual Biggest, Greatest, Most Magical Hide n Seek Game that began June 9 and lasts until Sept. 8.
Lukasik set the game in motion in 2009 but didn’t repeat it until 2025. It proved so popular, Lukasik said, it’s back.
You said as a northwest Ohio native, he thought it would be easy to find the star magnet that Lukasik has drawn and put up in various parts of the area but never in plain sight.
“Like, I thought I’d know the place,” You said, “but when I got down to it, it wasn’t there.”
Lukasik said that’s the point: the search, and then the thrill of the find.
“It was mind-blowing,” You said about when he and sister found the star and won prizes: gift cards from local merchants, some stickers. and a shirt.
Lukasik, a creative who now flips houses, thought it would be fun for this hide and seek game, better described as a scavenger hunt. So, he has been hiding his stars and players are seeking them.
“I hide a little magnet that is in the shape of these little star characters that I’ve been working on,” he said. “When people find it, they “scan the QR codes, and it reveals the prizes.”
Last year, he said, he hid 270 stars throughout Toledo, Perrysburg, Sylvania, Rossford, and other areas.
Before he hides anything, though, he invites businesses, large or small, to participate.
“Last year I had the Toledo Museum of Art and the Mud Hens, Sylvania Chamber of Commerce, just tons of local businesses, like David Fairclough Jewelers,” Lukasik said.
“I give clues for them [players] on Instagram. Everything’s there; I can post the visual clues, and then when people find them, they post and tag me so I can verify that they found the one,” he said.
Lukasik said he updates the site and keeps in contact with the hunters.
He said he got the idea while setting up an art supplies store.
“People say Toledo is boring. There’s nothing to do,” Lukasik said. “Well, you could complain about it, or you could try to bring something interesting, to get them out and explore the city.
RELATED: Weird, Wild and Wonderfully Midwest
“In Toledo, specifically, a lot of things we do are just go to a place and we just sit. But sometimes I want something a little more exciting and giving me a reason to drive around and explore.”
He can’t give away the details, but he assures players, especially children, that all spots are in safe, walkable areas. Still, he said, the stars are well hidden.
Lukasik said the game is dedicated to his grandmother.
“My grandmother was mischievous and funny and silly,” he said, “so I thought it was just a great way to honor her in a silent way.”
That’s why the game starts June 9, her birthday, and runs to Sept. 8, which is his birthday,
There’s plenty of time to get playing.
Just visit gregaryluks.com to join the hunt.
