Can’t escape Chatham-Kent? How about escaping for an hour, right in the heart of the municipality?
That’s the plan of Shawn and Kelly Schleihauf, the masterminds behind Locked In CK, an escape room located adjacent to the Downtown Chatham Centre.
The couple said the idea took seed when they visited Windsor with friends, and sought out something unique to do. They discovered an escape room – a place where participants have a set time to find clues and go from step to step to the point they eventually escape.
“We did it and it was one of the most fun things we’ve ever done,” Shawn said. “We talked about it all the way home.”
Eventually, that discussion turned into planning. There are escape rooms in Windsor and London, in fact they’re popping up everywhere, and now Shawn and Kelly brought the concept to Chatham.
Work began about 3 months ago.
“There was no real plan. We built two generic rooms so if we change the theme, we can start fresh again,” Shawn said.
It’s a smart concept. They have a room where participants must escape before a psychopath returns to harvest their organs, and another where you must break into a jewelry store to steal a massive diamond.
And in about six months, they’ll change it up for something new.
Three Chatham Voice staffers – myself included – and a like number of teens took on the heist room.
Sensei Jeff brought his daughter Sydnee to take part in our break-in attempt, but he declined the opportunity to take part. Jeff thought I’d make short work of the challenges, but he didn’t know I often suck at puzzles. For instance, I may have a strong vocabulary and like to think I have an analytical mind, but challenging crossword puzzles often leave me stumped.
But we were equipped with a blend of curious people, and off we went. And we progressed oh so predictably.
“The first half hour, everyone’s smiles and chuckles,” Shawn had told me. “And then people start to panic.”
We blazed through the early stages, with seemingly everyone finding a different clue that led us to the next phase. And we were brimming with confidence. We were not only determined to set the new record time, but we wanted to do it without taking a clue. And you get three of them.
Shawn and Kelly said we completed one element that no one else had managed without getting a hint.
But once inside Hanna’s Jewelry & Loan (Hanna’s their daughter), which is located on fictitious John Street (yep, John’s their son), we began to bog down. Finally, we gave in and asked for a hint. That eventually led to another, and all too soon the third.
Ultimately, we failed to complete the task in the one-hour time limit.
Why? It’s simple, really. We pushed the pace. By trying to do it too fast to set the record, we made mistakes, overlooked things, costing us more time, as we had to back track.
As well, we uncovered everything we needed to do, but didn’t double check one element, and that was our undoing. And I was the person who had checked on every other element of that phase. Oops.
We failed, but we certainly had fun.
“There was a lot of different aspects to try to figure out,” explained Michelle Owchar, our graphic designer here at The Voice. “I definitely want to do the other (room).”
“It was fun. There was a lot of thinking,” Allie Doran, 15, said. “You definitely have to use your brains.”
Sydnee Brooks, 14, daughter of Sensei Jeff, said it was very rewarding completing each challenge.
“It was frustrating, but I felt really good getting the first clue right,” she said. “I think a lot of people in Chatham will enjoy this.”
We certainly did. My advice to people who want to try the escape rooms is to keep your eyes wide open, have fun, and take your time. Haste does indeed make waste.
Locked In CK is open Wednesday through Sunday. For more information, call 519-351-5425, or e-mail info@chathamescaperooms.com.
