Ben Vereen Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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You are looking for a lock-and-lock container, about 4 inches by 6 inches by 3 inches with log and swag. Placed near the birthplace of one of Laurinburg's most famous sons.
Not many people know that actor/dancer/singer Ben Vereen, most famous for playing 'Chicken George' on the miniseries "Roots" and for playing "Pippin" on Broadway was actually born in Laurinburg, North Carolina. In fact, for a large part of his life, even Mr. Vereen didn't know this fact. It wasn't until he was applying for a passport in the 1960's that he found out he was adopted. In fact, some of his biographies say that he was from Miami, Florida, which is where he was raised by his adoptive parents.
According to the Fayetteville Observer of April 29, 2006, Vereen learned his birth certificate revealed that his birth name was Benjamin Augustus Middleton, that he was the son of Essie Middleton, and that he was born in Laurinburg, NC. In April 2006, Vereen visited Laurinburg with a genealogist and learned that his mother's name was Essie May Pearson, who had died 24 years before. According to her acquaintances, Essie had gone on a trip when Ben was a child, and had left her baby in someone's care. When she returned, the child was gone.
This cache is placed in the City Park of Laurinburg. Across the street is the site of the old Scotland Memorial hospital, recently demolished to build a new Scotland County Campus for Richmond Community College. It was here that he was probably born on October 10, 1946.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
ng gur onfr bs n ovt byq yvir bnx