Written by Nancy Huddleston
Patience paid off for the Wagner Family, which found the 2025 Dan Patch Days
horseshoe underneath a storage equipment chest near the baseball fields at Summit
Pointe Park.
“At first, we thought it was somewhere near Hamilton Ridge School because of all the
references to Hamilton in the first clue,” said Jamie Wagner. Also, the “take a bow”
reference indicated to them that it must be near a baseball field. The second clue with
its “Taj Mahal” references sent them to look in the “Images of America – Savage” book
for more information as they continued to search in the same area.
The family didn’t get out to search again until two days after the third clue had been
released, and that clue pointed them to the opposite side of town, Jamie said. When
they arrived, the reference to walking a trail toward the “orb with City of Savage,” gave
them hope that they were in the right park because of the proximity of the water tower.
Once they got to Summit Pointe Park, the Wagner’s three children raced ahead, toward
the baseball fields. They zeroed in on a baseball field equipment box with a big City of
Savage logo on top. When they looked underneath the box, they could see something.
“My oldest convinced one of his younger sisters to stick her arm under the box,” Jamie
said, “It was dark and dirty, and they were convinced there were spiders in there, but
she grabbed it. By the time we got there, they had it. We were there maybe two
minutes, and the kids found it!”
Jamie said the family had been looking for it for a long time, and never thought they’d
win, especially considering the intensity of some of the searchers.
Each of the Wagner’s children were motivated differently to win this year’s hunt. “The
oldest wants the money, the middle* wants to ride in the parade, and the youngest* one
just wants to carry around with the horseshoe all day,” Jamie said.
*Corrections made 06.24.25
Patience paid off for the Wagner Family, which found the 2025 Dan Patch Days
horseshoe underneath a storage equipment chest near the baseball fields at Summit
Pointe Park.
“At first, we thought it was somewhere near Hamilton Ridge School because of all the
references to Hamilton in the first clue,” said Jamie Wagner. Also, the “take a bow”
reference indicated to them that it must be near a baseball field. The second clue with
its “Taj Mahal” references sent them to look in the “Images of America – Savage” book
for more information as they continued to search in the same area.
The family didn’t get out to search again until two days after the third clue had been
released, and that clue pointed them to the opposite side of town, Jamie said. When
they arrived, the reference to walking a trail toward the “orb with City of Savage,” gave
them hope that they were in the right park because of the proximity of the water tower.
Once they got to Summit Pointe Park, the Wagner’s three children raced ahead, toward
the baseball fields. They zeroed in on a baseball field equipment box with a big City of
Savage logo on top. When they looked underneath the box, they could see something.
“My oldest convinced one of his younger sisters to stick her arm under the box,” Jamie
said, “It was dark and dirty, and they were convinced there were spiders in there, but
she grabbed it. By the time we got there, they had it. We were there maybe two
minutes, and the kids found it!”
Jamie said the family had been looking for it for a long time, and never thought they’d
win, especially considering the intensity of some of the searchers.
Each of the Wagner’s children were motivated differently to win this year’s hunt. “The
oldest wants the money, the middle* wants to ride in the parade, and the youngest* one
just wants to carry around with the horseshoe all day,” Jamie said.
*Corrections made 06.24.25
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