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The Clue Master Status Report

Submitted by ares on

As many of you are aware, Clue Master is in the hospital, with surgery scheduled for Friday, 8/8/08 (hey, crazy eights. Gotta be a lucky day) to replace a heart valve.

For the $0.25 version of what's happened, last Wednesday he was in so much back pain he couldn't get out of bed. He went in to Woodwinds on Thursday where they did a full-body image set of him, and discovered something "fuzzy" in his bone marrow. Initially this was diagnosed as Leukemia, but the oncologist later corrected it saying that the rest of the symptoms weren't consistent with the GP's diagnosis; bone marrow tests would be required. After some more work, they determined he has a bacterial infection that's settled in his bone marrow, lungs, and heart.

The infection resulted from a previously undiagnosed prolapse heart valve, combined with dental work 6 months ago. The result is that the infection has eaten away at the valve to the point where he needs it replaced.

For updates, check out CM's family's web site. To send your well-wishes, check out the thread at AbleMinds. He's in there a lot from the hospital and responding to posts.

Presenting the new CoolerCrew.com

Submitted by ares on

We are pleased to unveil to the general populace the new and improved Cooler Crew web site. There are some exciting new changes going on around these parts and we're glad you're a part of it.

The first thing you'll notice is the new look. After a decade of static web pages and a pseudo-content management system ares put together over the last few years, the site has implemented Drupal for managing the content. After spending a bit of time trying to work out a theme for it, the testers who provided feedback agreed that the "default" theme looks cool, so we're sticking with it.

One of the benefits of Drupal is that Coolerheads near and far will be able to submit their own news items to appear in the site. The Cooler Crew site has always depended on you to create the content you see here, and with the new software, that task is easier than ever to accomplish. Coming down the pipe, we're expecting to have an online photo gallery for you to submit your treasure hunt pictures to, as well as the ability to create your own blogs.

As always, the content of the site will be freely available. However, in order to create content, you'll have to sign up for an account on the site, but that's free and painless. And for those of you who have contributed material in the past, once you get signed up, we can attribute to you all that should be attributed to you, beyond just having a by-line in the story. Until then, well, let's just say we bring back an old name to be the nom-de-plume of everything not otherwise claimed, one Mr. Joe Medallion.

RIP Santa Dave

Submitted by Terry on

Santa Dave at the first annual Cooler Crew predig.

"Santa" Dave Young passed away last night in the presence of many of his Cooler Crew Friends.

Being as sleep is alluding me, I thought I could share some information and memories of our friend Dave Young over the past 10 years.

He was raised on a farm near Brewster, MN. We know he has a sister still living in that area along with aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. He still owned farm land that he rented out. He spent most holidays with a niece back in Brewster and always bragged about her cooking.

He was married once. He never had children.

He was a ham radio operator and a licensed pilot. He loved the State fair, the medallion hunt, micro napping, working on computers, and any gathering that involved a good dinner and people he liked being with.

If you went anywhere with him, it wasn't long and he'd run into someone he knew. He had a very long list of friends.

Almost without fail, when you said goodbye at the end of a time together or on the phone, his last words were "have fun!". That was his philosophy and there wasn't much of anything he wouldn't try if it sounded like fun.

Every Christmas season, he would dress up as a traditional Santa and would hire out for parties - either private family gatherings or organizations. One time when his "jalopy" wasn't running, we picked Santa up and drove him out to Eden Prairie for a party and brought him back home afterwards. We stopped at a McDonald's or Burger King near his home. All he had left of his Santa suit was the red pants.

Two young African-American boys came up to him wanting to talk to Santa. He very graciously did so. I know those young boys will always believe.

But that wasn't the only time we witnessed Santa in action...

One year at the State Fair, we were walking around with Dave and a mother with a little girl came up to him. The mother said her little girl wanted to talk to Santa. He, of course, talked to that little girl and was so very much Santa. Not only will that little girl believe for the rest of her life, but that mother will too.

One of the first times we went to do Fitger's Bock Hunt in Duluth, there was a group of us that were going to drive up... Allison, Inks, me and Eags was to pick up DDY and then we would head up to Duluth early on a Saturday morning.

Eags had been to his place, knocked on the door, didn't get a response, had looked in his car and after another round of attempts came and met up with the rest of us. We decided to go back and try one last time before leaving. After banging on his door and looking into his car, we were about to give up, leave a note and go. Took one more look into his car and there he was micro napping amongst the "stuff" in his car. You've seen his car you know it would be easy to miss someone snoozing in among that "stuff".

At that Bock festival later that evening, Dave participated in a black forest torte eating contest....no hands. You can imagine that beard! He didn't win, but he did that every year after until Fitger's quit doing the bock hunt as part of their festival.

If anyone ever needed anything, all you had to do was ask and he'd be there. If it was something he had in his car, he knew exactly where in that "stuff" he would find it. It was amazing.

He also did electrical work. His friend Jon built a house in western Wisconsin a few years ago. Dave did the house wiring for him and his wife Cheryl. During that time, Dave had fallen on some hard financial times and his "jalopy" quit running for the last time. His friend not only paid for him to do the wiring, he bought him a different car. Very recently, Jon had a heart attack and died. He and Jon had been close friends for over 40 years. Dave was deeply saddened by the loss of that friend and had been spending time helping Jon's wife take care of some things.

So now Jon and Dave are together again.

There are so many memories...we are so lucky to have known him.

The Pre-Hunt Warmup

Submitted by Administrator on

by The Batman

“Say it ain't so, Clueless Joe,”
It’s almost that time of year!
Its time to obsess, with the Pioneer Press, 
For the hunt will soon be here!

Jus’ one plastic puck, worth ten thousand bucks,
Hidden beneath the snow.
But that’s reason enough! So you better get tough,
And put up with the cold, for the dough!

You know I got pride, I represent the East Side ,
So I hope it’s hidden there.
It might be an advantage, but I think I can manage.
For me to find it, would be fair!

To those who write the clues, please take your time to choose,
Exactly what the clues should say;
Cuz’ for the past few years, your clueless peers,
Jus’ couldn’t lead us astray.

As crowd sizes grow, the hunters then know,
That they’re right where they should be.
The “mob” at Phalen Park , was outrageous after dark,
If you saw it, then you surely agree.

All the clues that we critique, and the longer that we seek,
Adds more tension to the event.
If its found by clue eight, the hunters all get irate!
And they’ll tell you to go “pitch a tent”!

Stayin’ up all night, as the clues I’ll recite,
Over and over again.
All the research that’s done, won’t compare to the fun,
Of “searching hill and glen”.

This “Jughead has spoken”, and I long for the token,
In this, the hunt of all hunts!
So I soon will prepare, for the upcoming affair,
And dress warm for the sudden cold fronts.

After clue number two, I’ll assemble my crew,
And we’ll pick up a bottle of Jack.
Then we’ll head for the woods, to search for the goods,
Gettin’ a buzz but stayin’ on track!

King Boreas will be proud, when the roads are all plowed, 
To make way for me, . . . the finder.
Yes, his precious medallion, will be found by this stallion!
You can consider this is a binder!

I’m anticipating, and eagerly awaiting,
The release of the first clue.
I feel like I’m cursed, ‘til January 21st,
This hunt is long overdue!

Coolerheads Find Two City Medallions

Submitted by Joe Medallion (not verified) on

Congratulations to me2 and ThoseMedallingKids on their recent hunt finds. Me2 found the North Saint Paul Snow Frolics medallion on Feb. 9, 2006, and turned it in for $400 in Snow Frolics dollars. TMK turned in the Coon Rapids Snowflakes Days Medallion on Feb. 19, 2006. It ended up being worth $350 in cash for him.

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