Farmington Launches Interactive Mobile Tour/Scavenger Hunt
Farmington Historic Plantation has introduced a new mobile grounds tour, accessible via the text messaging function of any mobile phone, in an effort to increase interest in the grounds and to make the overall site visit a more engaging experience, especially for younger visitors. The mobile tour supplements an existing self-guided grounds tour brochure, which provides a map of the property and information about various outbuildings and points of interest. 
 
Using the brochure as a guide, visitors are prompted through text messages to answer questions in order to find specific locations on the grounds. Players move around the property by completing scavenger hunt type challenge questions. The mobile tour is free to play and can be accessed at any time.  
 
The tour is hosted by SCVNGR, pronounced “scavenger,” a start-up company out of Boston, Mass., that has developed the geo-gaming platform that enables anyone to quickly and easily build location-based mobile games, tours and interactive experiences that can be enjoyed from any mobile device. For more information, visit www.scvngr.com.
 
Completed in 1816, Farmington, at 3033 Bardstown Road, was the center of a 550-acre hemp plantation owned by the Speed family and sustained by nearly 60 enslaved African Americans. The site explores the history of the family, the enslaved population and the strong friendship with Abraham Lincoln. More can be found at www.historichomes.org.
 
IHNA Displays International Design Competition Entries
The Irish Hill Neighborhood Association (IHNA) has placed on display the competition boards from their international open ideas competition, Mediative Urbanisms. The contest was created to encourage critical thinking for a 30-acre post-industrial site located on Lexington Road in the Irish Hill neighborhood. 
 
The first place entry, as selected by a five-member jury, was a concept submitted by a team from Paris, France, titled “A Scenic Walkway.” All 20 entries can be seen for an undetermined amount of time at Urban Design Studio, located at 507 S. 3rd Street, or on the IHNA Web site, www.irishhillneighbors.org.
 
IHNA invites the public to witness the excitement of the possibilities for the site through the eyes of urban designers, architects, landscape designers, artists and creative citizens.  
 
The Urban Design Studio frequently plays host to planning and design charettes and discussion forums that help increase the level of public involvement. Their gallery space is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment with an IHNA representative – contact Chandler Bainter at irishhill@techemail, or call (502) 905-4342. For more information about Urban Design Studio, visit http://udstudio.org, or call (502) 587-7015.