A few minutes before the Harvest Hunt Medallion was found in Court Square Park Friday afternoon (Oct. 13), Don Meger jumped to his feet and yelled hoping to trick the dozen-plus other medallion hunters into believing he’d found it.
“I was just practicing,” Meger said sheepishly. Medallion hunters who only momentarily stopped searching quickly went back to scouring the benches, slides, swings, and other apparatus as Meger admitted it was all just a ruse.
A few minutes later, Angie Johnson legitimately claimed she had found the medallion. It was placed beneath a piece of steel playground equipment in the parking lot. Johnson and teammates Jeff Miller, Jeff Witt and Anne Miller will divide the $100 prize for finding the medallion.
It was just after 6 p.m. when Johnson announced she had found the medallion, about 35 minutes after the fourth clue confirmed what she and her teammates strongly believed.
“We were here Wednesday for about three hours,” Johnson said.
Johnson and Ann Miller have worked together during medallion hunts linked to community festivals in Belle Plaine. They have found more than their share of medallions. What’s their motivation?
“Bragging rights,” Johnson said.
“We like to decipher the clues,” Ann Miller said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Miller admits she and Johnson had been in a bit of a slump. In2014, they found the Harvest Coin in the Blaha Bird Sanctuary. They don’t even recall whether the last medallion they found was part of the St. Patrick’s Day or Bar-B-Que Days festivals. They admit the competition to find coins has become tougher.
Clue Explained
The clues published in the “Herald” the past three weeks are filled with references to Court Square Park. There are multiple references to running and a race, referring to the half marathon held Saturday (Oct. 14). The third clue contains a reference to Richard (Steinhoff), the announcer who lauds the runners as they cross the finish line after 13.1 hilly miles.
Bill Kruschke, the author of the Harvest Medallion Hunt clues, said Monday the clues led the hunters right to Court Square Park from the initial offering. The first clues refer to the general location in Belle Plaine and race words, he said.
Other key words in the first clue include “train” since the park is north of train tracks, “Trinity Hill” which runners will pass on their way to the finish line, “Schultz’s” as reference to Schultzes Construction Van near the finish, and “Big Macs” meaning no trucks being allowed to park around Court Square.
The second and third clues refer to things seen in Court Square Park. BPHS refers to B.P. Historical Society. “Basket” is a reference to the golf disc targets in the park. “One banner” is a reference to the Star Spangled Banner and the American flag in the park. “DVD” and “Saucer” are indicators of disc golf in the park.
The term “tunnel” references the small children’s slide. “Lit’l cat” refers to the catfish contest based in the park each summer. “Pinwheel” is a reference to the windmill in the park. The reference to “Chaucer” identifies a poem, “House of Fame” and the two-story outhouse or the historic Hooper-Bowler-Hillstrom House. “Tow” and “tacky” point searchers to the tic-tack-toe game on the playground equipment where the medallion was found.
Copyright 2017 Belle Plaine Herald.