Obvious homage to No Time for Cold Feet ~ "the holy grail of St. Paul". Confirmation that it's in a St. Paul Park? "Old sport" nod to F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Great Gatsby.
Oh boy! Time to noodle! Anagram anyone? Also, has anyone else noticed the use of semicolons and colons? Clue 1 after the word hunt (:) and Clue 2 after the word do (;). But no use in Clue 3.
I bet lots of people are thinking "fail"= Phalen. But, what do they mean by "figure"? Figure skating? Tax accounting or something similar for "figure"? A choice between 2 parks... figure? or fail( for Phalen)?
Put me down for Phalen Park (regional) for this one Allison. All 10. My first pick was Swede Hollow before the clues came out and before there were 2 homicides discovered west of the park. Cancel that pick. Too dangerous!
I think you may very well be right in saying that this clue is telling us that it's in a very obscure spot, but the first person to that spot will be the finder. That would certainly be the way to set up a hunt during a pandemic.
This next clue is vague yet specific I think. Its telling us the basics of staying out of off limit places, such as the links, golf courses, could also mean stay away from parks with courses, and now that Frisbee golf is getting popular that may also come into play. The specific thing about this clue has me thinking that this year is going to be different, no digging around in the snow, no tree limb kind thing either, so my thought was its going to be right along an easy path and will be found easily...if you can get the area correct, and the writer is telling us this by saying you ain't got a shot if you are waiting around for the last clue this year. So usually you get the park, maybe...but then its a full on dig fest, not this year, just walk over maybe look under a bench and grab it kinda thing, which are always the first things searched in an area...this year is first come first serve maybe...
To clarify something, I'm not saying the meter is strict this year. Just this clue. It was not true of Clue 1, but feels a bit forced on Clue 2, as if it were important that it be something specific.
The medallion will not be hidden on the State Capitol grounds, at Como Zoo & Conservatory, Rice
Park, Mounds Park, under any skating surface, on a golf course, under or on any artificial turf surface, or at any construction site.
The Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt is part of the St. Paul Winter Carnival every year. While the prize can only go to one winner, The Allison Wonderland is dedicated to the community spirit of treasure hunting. Here, not only will you find out about the Pre-Dig Gig, the Rehash Bash, and various other social events, but we also discuss the clues here in a team effort to decipher them (albeit not always successfully). This is a place to discuss ideas respectfully, report on what's happening "on the ground", and provide each other with useful information. This is a public group so expect that anything posted will be seen by everyone.