The 2010's
A New Era
A new decade is upon us. Having celebrated our own ten year anniversary, we now begin the seventh calendar decade of the medallion hunt. We''ll see the 60th anniversary of the hunt in 2012 (and may not see the 61st, depending on who you believe). Technology will advance faster than ever. It should be fun to watch and participate. Remember: Search, Don''t Destroy!
| Year | General Location | Pinpointed location | How it was concealed |
| 2010 | Lilydale Park | Tucked in a footprint in the snow near an uprooted tree, across the river from grain silos and a circular piling in the river. | Plastic bag, with a depiction of the Pioneer Press's two Pulitzer Prizes. |
| 2000s | |||
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!
