The Allison Wonderland

Running the Scavenger Hunts for the Winter Carnival has kept me too busy to also run a park pick pool, so we haven't always done that lately, but I think this year we can. It's kind of complicated, but here is how it works.

We'll still say the prize is $100, but it is free to participate. The only cost is that you have to post your guesses publicly to the group so that it's clear who won.

The first round starts now. The next round starts after Clue 1 comes out. And then each round after that will start with the release of the next clue. Any guesses made after the find will not be counted.

In each round you get a total of 10 guesses. You can assign all 10 guesses to one park if you are feeling confident, or you can spread them out among multiple parks. You could say 5 for Como, 3 for Phalen, and 2 for Hidden Falls, or you could even have 1 guess for each of 10 different parks. 

You may change your guesses during the day. The last guess you make in a round will be your official guess.

If you don't post a guess, then your last guess will carry over to the next round (until there is a new guess).

The scoring will vary depending on how long the hunt goes. You will score 1 point for each correct guess made on the day of the find. You will score 2 points per correct guess made the day before the find. You will score 3 points per correct guess made 2 days before the find, and so on. Consequently if the hunt goes 10 clues, correct guesses made on Clue 1 will score 10 points each and the pre-hunt guesses score 11 each. If it were found on Clue 5, Clue 1 guesses would score 5 points and pre-hunt guesses would score 6, for example.

Once the medallion is found, the person with the most points is the winner. If there is a tie, then the first person who first posted a guess towards the correct park will be the winner.

Good luck and let the games begin!

So I hear there's another treasure hunt coming up soon. Something about a medallion...

Of course you all know what I'm talking about. It's mostly why you're here. The Pioneer Press Medallion Hunt is coming up this next weekend. Now just to clarify, I've been working for the Winter Carnival the last few years. However, the Medallion Hunt is run strictly by the Pioneer Press and is not (at this time) officially associated with the Winter Carnival. Consequently I am not officially associated with the Medallion Hunt and have no knowledge of where it is hidden. Still, just to avoid any awkward appearances, I will not be looking for the medallion. But I will still be providing my thoughts and facilitating a discussion here.

The whole affair starts this Saturday. Though Clue 1 officially comes out on Sunday, it has been typically released on Saturday with the early edition of the Sunday paper.

Saturday night is the Pre-Dig Gig. This is the kick off party for the hunt run by the Cooler Crew. Any hunter is invited to attend. It takes place at Joseph's Grill in St. Paul where we have the private back room reserved. Things usually get going around 6pm. They have their pasta bar which I always recommend. This year it is $26 including tax and tip. You can also order off the regular menu I believe. And of course they have a full bar available. There are a few activities during the night like the park pick pool, group photo, and other things. You can also just sit and meet other hunters and trade war stories of past hunts. Everyone is there for the same reason, so even if you don't know anyone, it shouldn't be hard to find something to talk about.

Starting Sunday night there will be nightly clue releases at Shamrock's in St. Paul. That usually gets going around 9pm and the papers typically arrive between 11 and 11:30 or so. It's a little harder to pick the hunters out of the crowd there, so all the more reason to get to know people at the Pre-Dig.
As for the Allison Wonderland Park Pick Pool, I believe I will have time to run that again as the Winter Carnival Scavenger Hunts are using a new app and shouldn't require constant monitoring this year. So that will work as it has in the past, but I will make a separate post for that.
And then of course we'll have the ongoing discussion here. I'll be posting the clues here if I have them myself or if they are posted publicly elsewhere. As a group, I think we've had a pretty good (but not perfect) track record on figuring things out, so I certainly encourage other people to chime in. I may not always agree with you, but I've certainly been wrong before so you never know.

Otherwise I wish everyone good luck!

Clue #4

Since it’s not easy being green, blue and purple it sits between.

Just lying in a sylvan scene where many more trees used to grow.

If it helps you determine where, look in a park that’s far from square.

Because there’s a lot of land there we can get by without much snow.

And the previous clues:

Clue #3

While our can sits on ground quite dry, a changing current is nearby.

Paddling might help you should you try, but no need for you to get wet.

Catalogs you may disregard, and getting letters can prove hard

But count an old-styled postcard as what people would love to get.

Clue #2

Even with all the time you’ve got, a picnic this pursuit is not.

We’ve picked a rather rustic spot that doesn’t evoke the city.

You’re not going to need a ball, no vendors there as we recall.

Really, mostly nothing at all, but with snow the hills are pretty.

Clue #1

From all throughout our realm we call treasure hunters home to St. Paul

To invite you each, one and all to seek our golden can of beer.

On public land is where it hides. Let city limits be your guides.

Prepare to take a lot of strides if you’re going to walk from here.

And thus St. Paul Brewing extends this invite to our darling friends

Where your hunting success depends on finding water of three kinds.

There’s a happy end to this tale if you stay off the beaten trail.

Articles provide some detail, but not the ones that cover finds.

Clue #4

Since it’s not easy being green, blue and purple it sits between.

Just lying in a sylvan scene where many more trees used to grow.

If it helps you determine where, look in a park that’s far from square.

Because there’s a lot of land there we can get by without much snow.

And the previous clues:

Clue #3

While our can sits on ground quite dry, a changing current is nearby.

Paddling might help you should you try, but no need for you to get wet.

Catalogs you may disregard, and getting letters can prove hard

But count an old-styled postcard as what people would love to get.

Clue #2

Even with all the time you’ve got, a picnic this pursuit is not.

We’ve picked a rather rustic spot that doesn’t evoke the city.

You’re not going to need a ball, no vendors there as we recall.

Really, mostly nothing at all, but with snow the hills are pretty.

Clue #1

From all throughout our realm we call treasure hunters home to St. Paul

To invite you each, one and all to seek our golden can of beer.

On public land is where it hides. Let city limits be your guides.

Prepare to take a lot of strides if you’re going to walk from here.

And thus St. Paul Brewing extends this invite to our darling friends

Where your hunting success depends on finding water of three kinds.

There’s a happy end to this tale if you stay off the beaten trail.

Articles provide some detail, but not the ones that cover finds.

Clue #3

While our can sits on ground quite dry, a changing current is nearby.

Paddling might help you should you try, but no need for you to get wet.

Catalogs you may disregard, and getting letters can prove hard

But count an old-styled postcard as what people would love to get.

And the previous clues:

Clue #2

Even with all the time you’ve got, a picnic this pursuit is not.

We’ve picked a rather rustic spot that doesn’t evoke the city.

You’re not going to need a ball, no vendors there as we recall.

Really, mostly nothing at all, but with snow the hills are pretty.

Clue #1

From all throughout our realm we call treasure hunters home to St. Paul

To invite you each, one and all to seek our golden can of beer.

On public land is where it hides. Let city limits be your guides.

Prepare to take a lot of strides if you’re going to walk from here.

And thus St. Paul Brewing extends this invite to our darling friends

Where your hunting success depends on finding water of three kinds.

There’s a happy end to this tale if you stay off the beaten trail.

Articles provide some detail, but not the ones that cover finds.

I wondered the same thing about a discussion, is it here? or someplace else.  - and I have to get used to this new format 

I like the idea of the clues in the phone booth. I look forward to going next Tuesday - 

Are we looking for something made of wood? or was the beer can 3D printed? 

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me2