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Cooler Crew

Me2's Speech

Submitted by me2 on

OK , just breathe. – I’m getting up here to talk a bit. I brought a speech. Not because I won an Oscar, and I haven’t yet found the medallion, but I won! I won all of YOU.

Once again I have seen us strengthen friendships and make new relationships. New Daddy, RedDog, Karl & Laurie. I got to put new faces to online names of BigG, Mystical_Muzik. But there are still people I hope are here today that I haven’t met in person yet- Homeless Artist, On the Search, jusme, 231gnx – I hope you find as much kindness, respect, laughter and acceptance with these fine people as I have.

Most of us were brought together by the Winter Carnival Treasure Hunt. 
You have unique qualities that have kept us together! Some of you are terribly funny, some really care that we had a rough day, some are quiet, like Reg ;) . Sometimes we disagree with each other in the forum, we listen to each other vent, share in each others joys (like a new baby Congratulations ESD!, a new job-way to go ClueMaster!, Terry and Inks son in the Peace Corps-come home safely)

We share our private lives as much or more than we discuss clues in a treasure hunt.

There are some that we don’t hear from throughout the year that put a smile on our face the moment we see them in line at the pioneer press or out in the park, like Wright Winger, Tami or Chair guy-John. Then there’s the Clowns –"Who's goin' chicken huntin'?"

Unselfish began at the pre-hash bash with East Side Digger giving me and Scribe copies of his newspaper art project. And trickled into Marley giving me a glow in the dark bulldog and reminding me to be positive-It was the year of “I believe, I believe” from Miracle on 34th st., some of you may have heard me chanting as I dug.

Thank you Terry Knapp for bringing us tacos in the middle of a park! To everyone who brought drinks! Then the Camo Crue-always so generous! A huge thank you to anyone who gave another person a ride to the parks. Cluemaster for 2 am talks in the truck. Gordy for slipping me a handwarmer while standing in line and CM for slipping me some schnapps. Randy Rust for the last of his hot chocolate at 3 am.. Tim the hunter-thank you for carrying Ares heavy shovel back to my truck! Karl, Laurie & New Daddy for offering me gloves on that last night when I left mine at home! Downtown Dave for posting the clue almost every night. Chrisdigger, Ares and Artemis for waiting hours downtown for the last clue! Artemis daily report that I still have to read. and Terry Valentines editorials.

Marley and ESD for designing bumper stickers and Mom, Dad, Terry & Inks for the wonderful work they do on the buttons.

The little things throughout the year that take so much time. Like Marley, Med Hunter & Ares (and now OntheSearch) for keeping wonderful websites maintained! Everyone who takes pictures throughout the years!- Cluemaster, Ian and KC0GRN! TMK just for always making me laugh ...and playing with our kids at the re-hash bash every year! THX our “stern controller” in the cooler. 
Scribe hanging out with me under the table at the Rockin' Lobster. 
Green? Just cause it’s hard being Green.

LL – you have graduated from (CCA) Cooler Crew Anonymous – you stuck by Phalen this whole hunt! Congratulations!

AW and Marley- looking forward to a good old fashion treasure hunts!

If I have not mentioned your name it isn’t because you’re not thought of.

Cooler Crew are, restaurant & business owners, website organizers, master gardeners, authors, lawyers, figure skaters, car salesmen, photographers, clue writers, police officers, filmmakers, ... moms, dads, grandma’s & grandpa’s, we donate our time to our friends, habitat for humanity, the historical society, schools.—YOU ARE THE SPIRIT OF ST PAUL –you are the soul of medallion hunts.

I don’t plan to win an Oscar if I make it in Trent's movie and I may not ever find that medallion but You can forever call me ...” lucky... humbled.... proud.... blessed...” to have met every single one of you. This is to all of you, I raise my shovel! Thank you.

love, Me2

Treasure Hunter Training Program

Submitted by Allison Wonderland on

by Allison Wonderland

For further insights, information, and discussion of the hunt, join the treasure hunting club at The Allison Wonderland.

  1. Whenever a snow emergency is declared, follow the snowplows around and completely dig out all the cars they plow in.
  2. As a big storm is about to hit, stand on your front steps with your back to the yard. Toss your car keys over your shoulder. Go back inside and then go find them the next day.
  3. Read up on Occam's Razor (All else being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the correct one).
  4. Do every word jumble, crossword puzzle, and search-a-word you can get your hands on.
  5. Make a list of all the things you can do with $10,000.
  6. Turn off the heat in your home for 16 hours a day.
  7. Only sleep three hours a night.
  8. Move all the snow from your back yard to your front yard.
  9. Spend all night on the Internet with total strangers discussing who killed JFK.
  10. Commit the Cooler Crew and Treasure Hunter's Guide Websites to memory.

Why Wear White Pith Helmets?

Submitted by green on

Bock a long, long time ago... In northern climes a group of folks met on the Internet to hunt a prized blue disk in a wonderful magical medallion hunt sponsored by a wonderful, loving Mom (i.e., Pioneer Press).

Many of these folks hunted at nite and the Chief Hunter - the one fullest of wisdom and hunt knowledge (Greg Sax) - suggested that all Cooler Hunters (hence forth called, as they are known today, Cooler Crew Members) wear something white on their upper body when hunting so that a) when one Cooler Crew Member came upon another in the heat (what HEAT?) of the hunt they would recognize each other and b) the white would stand out in the dark.

Many an item was worn - a diaper (New Daddy) around the arm, a sock, and even a baseball cap. And so white became the official color of The PioneerPlanet Cooler Crew, a.k.a. Coolerheads!

Time went on in this beautiful locale in the environs of St. Paul, MN... and spring came...

Some of The Cooler Crew got together for a bock hunt - hunting wooden goat heads - at a northern brewery to keep honed their hunting skills for the next Medallion Hunt. At that hunt, one Crew Member (Cheryl) gave all gathered Cooler Crew Members a white plastic pith helmet - white, as it is the Official Colour of The Crew... and a pith helmet as the original Cooler Crew Members first met at that very special, magical *hunt* - The St. Paul Pioneer Press Winter Carnival Medallion Hunt - and first and foremost are hunters!

The Legend of Joe Medallion

Submitted by G. Sax on

Most online forums have their nuisances, and the Medallion Hunt discussion group has been, unfortunately, no exception. Flamers, ranters, potty-mouths...they all turn up now and again. Oftentimes, the troublemaker will suddenly go mum as the group moderator clams them up with magic knobs and switches at Pioneer Planet headquarters. But one young fellow (at least we presumed he was young based on his k12.edu e-mail address) was a reasonable enough flamer to NOT have posting privileges taken away. He called himself many things, but mostly he was Joe Medallion.

His name is mentioned in the past tense for the sake of consistent tense, but he's certain to be around for 1999 and beyond as his antics seem to amuse himself more than anyone else. Joe would often have conversations with himself under different monikers, usually during the school day, leaving us to wonder how our public funds were being spent and whether or not this strange young man was somewhat schizophrenic. There would be times that he seemed generally interested in following ideas about where the medallion was hidden, and there were other times when he seemed to relish in spurning the group and calling us all freaks that needed to get a life.....and then he would apologize for his behavior or blame it on one of his alteregos. It was all very confusing but fascinating as well – so we tolerated it and eventually named a Cooler Crew nonevent after him.

That nonevent, the "Joe Medallion" or "Joe," is when anyone gets a post that falls on a 0. Post #11,340 would be a "Baby Joe," but post #35,000 would be the truest of a true "Joe." The practice stems from Joe's own annoying habit of posting continuously until he would achieve a magical 0 number, followed by the exclamation "I got it!" Rather than fight it, we took it as our own and nurtured it. Maybe Joe was right.....maybe we are all freaks that need to get a life. Or maybe our cynical definition of "life" just isn't the same as his. Seeya next year, Joe.

Epilogue - by Joe Medallion himself. Sort of.

These days old Joe can still be found around these parts. Yes, he's no longer a part of the forums. He hasn't been since the Water Cooler disappeared in 2002, and ever since we've been using a pay to post site, he hasn't bothered to pay to post. However, all sites need some sort of "anonymous" user, since not everyone wants to post stories publicly as themselves. Over on Slashdot, that poster is given the name "Anonymous Coward". Here, in Joe's honor, any anonymous posts will appear to come from our own Joe Medallion.

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