13th Annual Rehash Bash and Other End of the Winter Carnival Festivities

Sunday, January 31, 2010
Newell Park Pavilion
900 N. Fairview Ave.
Saint Paul, MN 55104
11:30am-2:30pm

The 13th Annual Rehash Bash will be held on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Newell Park, from 11:30am to 2:30pm. As always, its a potluck, and since we've got the building, there will be plenty of power indoors for crock pots. Donations will be accepted to cover the $136 cost for renting the facility. MrMnMikey has some door prizes available. Since this isn't Super Bowl Sunday this year, if people want to stick around past the 2:30 closing time, we can start a fire in one of the fire rings.

In addition, many of us long-time Coolerheads are loyal servants of Vulcanus Rex. Join us for the Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade, followed by the Vulcan Victory Dance. Information on the Parade Route is from the 2006 Vulcan Krewe. The best places for viewing the parade are going to be at the end of the parade route, as His Majesty, Vulcanus Rex LXXIII, the true King of the Winter Carnival, overthrows that other guy on the steps of the St. Paul Central Library, across from Rice Park

2010 Pre-Dig Gig Recap

Submitted by ares on Mon, 01/18/2010 - 22:13

The Cooler Crew at the pre-dig gig in the basement of Obb's.

January 16, 2010 -- Obb's Bar, St. Paul, MN

Tonight marked the 12th annual Cooler Crew Pre-Dig Gig. Over the course of the evening, we figure some 125 people or more came through the room. There were lots of old faces, and plenty of new ones joining in the fun!

As in the past several years, Clue Master ran the park pick pool. This year the pool was a little different. Everyone involved selected the order that they would be picking, but rather than have a single board, Cluey put together a pair of picks. One entry got you one pick on one of the boards. There was a lot of interest outside St. Paul propert this year.

Mom and Dad had the annual Cooler Crew button, which can be seen in the Pre-Dig gig announcement. Having a Cooler Crew button gets you 1/2 off appetizers and $1 off bar drinks at Yarusso's during the hunt. If you don't have one, find Ares at the PP, Yarusso's or contact him on Ableminds (or this site, or Facebook) to get one.

Lil'Man hooked us up with all the music we could stand, all night long, from the DJ booth, while lilslim brought in the karaoke laptop and enabled folks to hook us up with all the music we couldn't stand scattered throughout the evening. Not surprisingly, the karaoke booth grew more popular as the night progressed, as people "worked up the courage" to sing. Wicked Nick and Cereal Killer provided us with a rendition of Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler", and we were treated to a wonderful performance of the now viral "Pants on the Ground" from American Idol.

Cooler Crew Drink and Appetizer Specials at Yarusso's

During the hunt, get together at Yarusso Bros. Italian Restaurant on Payne Avenue. Your Cooler Crew button gets you $1 off bar drinks and half-price appetizers!

The Cooler Crew Would Like To Thank....

The Cooler Crew would like to thank the following great local businesses for their generous donations for Mark's funeral:

Yarusso's Italian Restaurant
635 Payne Avenye (Across from Swede Hollow)
for catering the food
 
  Lakeside Floral, Inc. for providing husband and father bouquets
Koehler & Dramm's Institute of Floristry for making a class project out of funeral arrangements and donating the results for the funeral

We'd also like to thank Obb's Bar for the location of the Pre-Dig Gig this year, and the setup they put together, as well as their generous donation to Mark's Memorial Fund. In addition we'd like to thank the many people who have individually contributed to the fund.

When you're out and about during this year's hunt and afterwards, please patronize these businesses as you are able to in gratitude for their contributions.

Mark Evenson -- Father, Husband, Treasure Hunter

Submitted by ares on Wed, 01/06/2010 - 12:28
Mark, Nicole, and Kaitlynn Mark, Nicole, and Kaitlynn. Photo courtesy of Sajous Photography

The Cooler Crew lost another treasure hunter yesterday morning. Mark Evenson, husband of Mystical_Muzik (AKA Nicole), passed away suddenly, and unexpectedly the morning of January 4, 2010 at St. John's Hospital in Maplewood. Mark had no known health issues.

A fund has been set up with Wells Fargo to help the family cover their expenses during this tragic event. Donations can be made at any Wells Fargo bank branch to the Mark Evenson Memorial Fund.

There will be a visitation from 4-8pm on Thursday, January 7 at Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church, 1669 N. Arcade St. in St. Paul. The funeral will be held at Gustavus Adolphus at 10am Friday morning, January 8.

Stay tuned here and in The Situation Room at the Cooler Crew Discussion Boards for more information and how you can help. On top of this, Nicole's father (see below) is still in the Intensive Care Unit at Regions Hospital after being shot during a robbery.

Mark was preceded in death by his parents and son Charles, and is survived by his wife, Nicole, their daughter, Kaitlynn, and many family and friends. Mark was 28.

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During the 1990’s, the St Paul Pioneer Press opened online discussion forums. These forums were called Water Coolers. The forums had discussion topics related to sports, politics, news, and current events. Each year, the Pioneer Planet – the online section of the Pioneer Press – opened a discussion forum as a media for hunters to discuss the clues for the Winter Carnival Medallion Hunt.

During the earlier years, one might find a few hundred posts during the hunt. As more hunters had computers, those numbers jumped. From 1997 to 1998, the number of posts increased from the hundreds to the 5-digit thousands. It was during the 1998 hunt the Cooler Crew was born.

The community spirit and teamwork displayed in the Pioneer Press Medallion Hunt thread was inspiring. The group of hunters found themselves at the end of a hunt not wanting to let go of new friendships and the camaraderie found on the Water Cooler board. The idea emerged to do what anyone would do in the middle of winter in Minnesota. A picnic in Cherokee was planned - the first Rehash Bash!

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