2026 Pipestone Water Tower Festival Medallion Hunt

Submitted by Administrator on Wed, 05/06/2026 - 1:55 PM

REMINDERS: The medallion is located on City or County land within the City of Pipestone, NOT private property. It is NOT located at the Pipestone National Monument as that is federal property. You do NOT have to climb, dig, remove, or move anything to find the medallion. Please be respectful of property and flowers while you are hunting. NO FLOWERS NEED BE TOUCHED! Clues will be released daily at 5pm on our Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page and on our Chamber website at www.PipestoneMinnesota.com. Thank you & have fun!

If you find the medallion, stay at the location and immediately call the Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce at 507-825-3316 (or cell phone 507-236-7323). The winner receives $150 in Pipestone Area Chamber Checks, the 2026 Medallion (carved by local Pipestone carver Pam Tellinghuisen), and bragging rights for the next year! Happy Medallion Hunting!

After only two nights of clues and searching, the 2026 Water Tower Festival Medallion has been FOUND on Monday (Day 2) of the Hunt!!!

Lynn Dengler of Pipestone is the LUCKY Winner of the 37th Annual Water Tower Medallion Hunt! She won both the coveted, one-of-a-kind pipestone medallion (handmade by local pipestone carver Pam Tellinghuisen), bragging rights for a year, and $150 in Pipestone Area Chamber Checks sponsored by the Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce! The amount was chosen in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the City of Pipestone, MN!

The Denglers have been annual, loyal hunters for many, many years. But THIS year, they actually started searching on night two and found it after ONLY about 10 minutes of searching!!! Lynn found it at about 7:39 pm at the Hiawatha Pageant Park along the gravel entry path at the base of a tree on the upper level of the park not too far from the former Ticket Stand & Sign.

Pipestone has amazing parks! And, this is a fun one to highlight! When we asked the super sleuth family (with some definite investigative skills and experience) what they were going to do with the prize winnings, Lynn said she was going to go #ShopPipestine in our Historic Downtown! Great Plan! Support Local! Congratulations & Way to Go, Lynn! Great teamwork & assist, Edison, and daughter Coral!

THANK YOU to EVERYONE who was out discovering what’s #OnlyinPipestone as you searched with friends, coworkers, neighbors, and family members!!! We had many hunters this year … We loved it!!!

THANKS to this year’s Secret Writer for writing the clues! We really appreciate it! You did an AWESOME job and created a LOT of fun for many people!!!

See you all at the 37th Annual Water Tower Festival starting THIS THURSDAY(June 25th) with the COMMUNITY GRILL-OUT & KIDS NIGHT in Historic Downtown Pipestone ~ starting with a Community Burger Feed Fundraiser from 5-7:30pm by JBS; Kids Pedal Pull sponsored by Titan Machinery - Pipestone, MN and Sandra Rieck & Associates - American Family Insurance; followed by the Pipestone Jr. Ambassador Contest (to select our 2026 Jr. Parade Marshals) with prizes sponsored by Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce! All activities are TOTALLY FREE ~ just bring some money for the delicious burgers to help raise funds for our Chamber’s year-round youth and family community events!!! And, Pipestone Kiwanis Club will be selling sno cones & popcorn throughout the night as well!

Hunt Information

Dates

Scheduled Dates

Sunday, June 21, 2026

Find Date

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Finders

Name

Lynn Dengler

Hometown

Pipestone

Prize

Maximum Prize

$150 in Pipestone Area Chamber Bucks

Awarded Prize

$150 in Pipestone Area Chamber Bucks

Location

General Location

Hiawatha Pageant Park

Pinpointed Location

Along the Gravel Entry Path Near the Former Ticket Stand

Concealer

At the Base of a Tree

44.007966, -96.318814

Clues

Clue 1

Published Date

Sunday, June 21, 2026, 5:00 PM

Welcome to the Sesquicentennial Celebration Edition of the Water Tower Festival Medallion hunt. As we tip-off the hoopla marking a span of 150 years, reflect on this embellished tag to uncover the precious swag. Be sure not to lag, the treasures worth matches Pipestone’s birth.

Clue Rating

Clue 2

Published Date

Monday, June 22, 2026, 5:00 PM

Platted in 1876 our legendary town endured war, depression and famine. And just off the beaten path, we might convey, is the way to capture the medallion made of Pipestone, your ultimate prey. Don’t stray far and do not wait until you see stars.

Clue Rating