2026 Stillwater Lumberjack Days Medallion Hunt

Submitted by Administrator on Tue, 05/05/2026 - 1:02 PM

2026 Rules for Historic Medallion Hunt brought to you by Erin McQuay of the United Way.
Medallion created by Chas Joy of Woodstock in Stillwater, MN.

2026 Lumberjack Days Buttons will only be sold prior to the FIRST Clue being read by Erin
McQuay of United Way of Washington County-East at 7pm on Thursday, July 16, 2026 at The
Historic Courthouse Ice Cream Social. If any buttons remain, we will announce sales of them for
collectors after the completion of LJD.

2026 Commemorative Lumberjack Days Buttons will be sold at The Daily Grind downtown until
NOON on July 16 and then, 5pm-6:59pm (Strictly) at the Washington County Historic
Courthouse Ice Cream Social.

First clue to be read at the Washington County Historic Courthouse on Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 7 PM.
The hunt is only to begin AFTER this clue is read. Any searching prior is considered grounds for
disqualification. Clues will not be printed – please refer to the Lumberjack Days social media for
updated clues, posted one hour after being read in person. (If there is delay in this, please text Erin directly – and kindly – and she can try to help).

All following clues will be read until found as follows:
Friday, July 17 at 12pm at the Veterans War Memorial (3 rd and Pine)
Saturday, July 18 at 1pm at the Veterans War Memorial (3 rd and Pine)
Sunday, July 19 at 9am at the Veterans War Memorial (3 rd and Pine)

Prizes levels details:
● $50 if you simply find the medallion (no button pre-purchased)
● $300 if you find the medallion with the pre-purchase of a button
● $500 if you find the medallion with the pre-purchase of a button and you ‘Like’ Stillwater Lumberjack Days on social media.
● $750 if you find the medallion with the pre-purchase of a button and you take a selfie at the area of finding with the medallion – must be wearing the button in the selfie (do NOT share photo until confirmation) – photo must be sent via text to the organizers.
● $1000 if you find the medallion with the pre-purchase of a button, take a selfie – must be wearing the button in the selfie, and you live in the St. Croix Valley. – License required upon validation. If under 16 years old, legal guardian must provide license.

Prize will be awarded after the conclusion of the festival during the week of July 20, 2026 after all details of the find have been thoroughly reviewed and approved by the organizers. The Medallion will be hidden at an undisclosed time on public land within Stillwater City Limits. No previous winners or relatives of winners of the Festivals Medallion Hunt are eligible to win any prizes affiliated with the festival’s activity for a period of 3 years, and no more than 2 members per immediate family for 10 years. Any attempt to purchase, use, recreate or borrow a 2026 Commemorative Lumberjack Days Button after the reading of the first clue in order to claim the prize money is strictly prohibited.

No images of Medallion itself will be published as we do not want any possible replicas. When you find it, you’ll know it!

The organizers can choose to disqualify any individual on suspicion of misconduct, cheating or
any foul play regarding the contest whatsoever. Please be respectful of land and property. Any
damage to land and property is strictly prohibited and grounds for disqualification. Do not push
down trees, remove bricks, or harm any public property – you will be disqualified from all
current and future contests with Lumberjack Days. There are no age restrictions on who can
participate or who can win. Any posting of finding the medallion online, on any social media, or
further exhibition of the find prior to validation is grounds for disqualification.

Once the medallion is believed to be found, we will post a disclaimer, and will give details of the
find after the award has been given after validation. Please do not comment on any social
media posts until validation. If the medallion is not found by 6pm on Sunday, July 29, 2026, the
location will be revealed sometime before Monday and you can hunt for it for fun, but no prizes
will be awarded. No one may claim that they found it before 6pm and just contact us after the
fact. We are very aware of when it is found, or foul play has happened.
Have fun! Make this a memorable experience for yourself and the community. Conduct yourself
in a manner that would make your grandmother proud. Good Luck!

Hey! Hardcore Medallion Hunters! – Take it easy. Sure, we’d love you to hunt, but only in good
fun and hopefully you’ll come to the festival and support the local merchants while you are visiting our town. But really, take it easy, and don’t just go town-to-town hunting. Let others have some fun too.
Who to Contact in the case of finding the Medallion- Erin McQuay – 763-222-3988 – Please call during respectful hours between 8am and 8pm. DO NOT BRING IT DOWNTOWN TO THE FESTIVAL! You must follow the rules to claim it.

Hunt Information

Dates

Scheduled Dates

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Find Date

Friday, July 17, 2026

Finders

Name

Nick Schubert

Hometown

Stillwater

Name

Katie Schubert

Prize

Maximum Prize

$1000

Location

General Location

Staples Field

Pinpointed Location

Under the Right Field Fence

45.064284, -92.814694

Clues

Clue 1

Published Date

Thursday, July 16, 2026, 7:00 PM

Never Eat Soggy Waffles.

Never? Never.

Not while running less than a mile?

Or on top of a huge earth pile?

The philosophy of rhyming

Is much like miming.

To see what’s not there

Even without a long stair.

May your hunt have no major barrier

Yet, in this quest, it may make it even merrier.

The official meaning of the clue.

Never Eat Soggy Waffles. - Represents North East South West as was taught in school

Never? Never. - Represents North.

Not while running less than a mile? - As the crow flies, the medallion was hidden less than a mile from the clue reading.

Or on top of a huge earth pile? - Represents a hill. So the search should have narrowed to the North Hill neighborhood of Stillwater.

The philosophy of rhyming - philosophy refers to the natural philosopher Isaac Newton, who's first name is the same as Stillwater's renowned lumber baron, Isaac Staples (Staples Field - but people could also be led to Pioneer Park, the site of his famous former mansion):

Is much like miming. miming refers to not seeing the medallion, because it was hidden underneath something, It can also refer to third base coaches in baseball, because of the signs they give their players...

To see what's not there

Even without a long stair. - Stair is the homophone of Stare in this case, because you could stare at the hiding place of the medallion and still not see it, and it also let people know it wasn't near any of our 5 sets of Stillwater Stairs.

May your hunt have no major barrier - represents the weed barrier the medallion was hidden under.

Yet, in this quest, it may make it even merrier. - represents the elements of the playground near its hiding place.

Clue Rating

Clue 2

Published Date

Friday, July 17, 2026, 1:00 PM

If you have a green thumb, consider yourself amongst the richest in the nation.

While many times caregivers find it lumbering to get kids off a play station.

Feet on the ground, head in the clouds.

On a nice summer night there may be butterflies amongst the crowds.

Whether Home or Away,

It sounds odd when one explains they are putting a cucumber laid upon clay.

The official meaning of the clue.

If you have a green thumb, consider yourself amongst the richest in the nation. - Green Thumb is a nod to the community garden on the north hill. And richest in the nation refers to Isaac Staples, who was one of the richest lumber barons in the nation.

While many times caregivers find it lumbering to get kids off a play station. - Lumbering is the play on the word lumber, in reference to Isaac Staples, lumber baron. And play station was play with the meaning of play station, well known as a video game console, but in this case referred to the playground at Staples Field.

Feet on the ground, head in the clouds. a reference to gravity, another nod to Isaac Newton's discovery of gravity, whom shares the first name of Isaac Staples.

On a nice summer night there may be butterflies amongst the crowds. - butterflies were all around the community garden, as people have done a beautiful job there, and crowds come with lawn chairs around the baseball diamond as it is used for little league and such.

Whether Home or Away, -refers to the Home team bench and the Away team bench.

It sounds odd when one explains they are putting a cucumber laid upon clay. - a cucumber, when added to a brine will become a pickle. Pickle ball is played upon a court made of clay. There is a pickleball court directly diagonally from Staples Field.

Clue Rating

Clue 3

A good morning is what one would hope for if they walked to work.
But actually, living so close would be quite a nice perk.

When a home run is hit,
The ball passes one hundred years just to sit.

Visiting the Rockies usually requires travel
But our hidden disk stays with George's wife just near some gravel.

The official meaning of the clue.

A good morning is what one would hope for if they walked to work.

But actually, living so close would be quite a nice perk. - Isaac Staples built his mansion in the land that is now Pioneer Park, because it is located directly above the still-standing

Staples Mill, which now houses antiques and lovely businesses.

When a home run is hit, - homeruns are hit during a game of baseball, and in this case, a homerun would go beyond the fence under which the medallion was hidden.

The ball passes one hundred years just to sit. - this represents the branding sticker that was on the weed barrier. It is named Century Fence -and a century is one hundred years.

And "just to sit" refers to the memorial bench located directly on the other side of the fence.

Visiting the Rockies usually requires travel. the Rocky Mountains are home to many well known cities, including Aspen, which is the name of one of the streets that borders Staples Field.

But our hidden disk stays with George's wife just near some gravel. - George's wife - refers to a famous George in American history - George Washington, who's wife, Martha, is also the same name as Martha Street, another bordering street of Staples Field. The gravel refers to the baseball field material.

Clue Rating

When shopping for office supplies a meadow wouldn't be the right store
How could I possibly tell you any more? - this is just me trolling you.

While you've taken heed to look carefully and slow,
I must urge you to go lift this thing up slightly and peek down below.

A slide or a swing would be fun for a time,
Find the Medallion under a fence that is not growing a vine

The official meaning of the clue.

When shopping for office supplies a meadow wouldn't be the right store. - the "office supplies" refers to Staples, and meadow is another word for field.

How could I possibly tell you any more? - this is just me trolling you.

While you've taken heed to look carefully and slow,

I must urge you to go lift this thing up slightly and peek down below. - this refers to the weed barrier it was hidden under that you needed to lift up from the ground to find

A slide or a swing would be fun for a time, - this refers to the swing on the playground, and the slide which ends pointing at the hiding spot.

Find the Medallion under a fence that is not growing a vine. - I was genuinely clear on this one.

Clue Rating