Susan Monson is relieved she won't go down as the last person to ever win the Oakdale Summerfest Medallion Hunt.
Last summer, Monson won a $1,000 prize when she and her sister found the medallion hidden in a park as part of the city's annual summer festival.
Monson said she moved to Oakdale just a few years ago, and participating in the medallion hunt, in addition to winning some extra cash, gave her the opportunity to sightsee around Oakdale, visit the different parks and learn about the area.
"My sister has lived here her whole life, and even she was seeing new things and learning about new parks," Monson said with a chuckle.
That sentiment is the reason the medallion hunt will return this summer, but it was in serious jeopardy after last year's event. The Oakdale Business and Professional Association sponsors the event, and association member Larry Eberhard, who organizes the medallion hunt, said he sensed a "waning interest" last summer.
So when Monson found the prize last year, Eberhard wasn't sure he was going to have a 2012 medallion made.
"I thought it might be time for me to move on and do something else," he said.
In clue number six of last year's hunt, the OBPA hinted that 2011 could be the final year of the hunt, which started in 2000, but Eberhard said he received a slew of e-mails from citizens who wanted it to continue. It wasn't the quantity, however, but the quality of the notes that made his decision.
"These people felt really strongly about wanting it to continue" he said, "They said it was the one Summerfest event they looked forward to, and it brought their families together. So I decided it was something worth keeping."
And when Eberhard heard how the medallion hunt had helped Monson learn her way around Oakdale, it was solidified in his heart that the hunt should go on.
As in previous years, the medallion will carry a $1,000 prize and will likely be hidden somewhere in one of the city's parks, Eberhard said. The OBPA will begin distributing clues to its hiding place at 8 a.m. Monday, June 18 at City Hall, on the city's website at www.ci.oakdale.mn.us, and through the tip hotline at 651-734-2615. One clue will be revealed each day for seven days or until the medallion is found.
Monson said she is definitely planning to search for the medallion with her kids again this year, noting she's got as good a chance of finding it as anyone else.
She said she had been hoping the event would return, and was thrilled to learn it would be back for a 12th year.
"It gives you that hope and excitement," Monson said. "We're excited to get out there again."
Sam Louwagie can be reached at staffwriter@lillienews.com or 651-748-7825.
Copyright 2012 Lillie Suburban Newspapers.