Eden Prairie residents Marcel, Bethany, Nya and Nash Nienhuis found Sheldon Smith's wrench on Feb. 11 as part of the citywide treasure hunt hosted by Rustica Bakery and Cafe, Eden Prairie Community Foundation and Kowalski's Eden Prairie Market.
The grand prize was $500 for the participant who purchased an event button set and $100 for the person who did not purchase the event button. Residents were encouraged to hunt for Sheldon Smith's wrench that, according to legend, was lost 136 years ago and hidden in an Eden Prairie park. One clue was posted at Rustica each day and all of the clues referenced Eden Prairie history.
Bethany Nienhuis said they were thankful for "engaging treasure hunt that ended up being a tour of Eden Prairie parks."
"We looked for the wrench as a family each day after the clue was revealed, which meant bundling up the kids and coordinating pickups from St. Hubert's school. We followed the wrench hunt clues closely from the start and spent one to two hours scouring each of the parks referenced in the clues before discovering that it was hidden at our neighborhood park, which we frequently walk to, Miller Park," she said.
"We noticed that interestingly, when we mapped each park referenced, that it made the shape of a wrench. We found the wrench on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 11 a.m. in a small clearing in the woods at the top of a hill."
Copyright 2017 Southwest News Media.
