2025 White Bear Lake Manitou Days Medallion Hunt

“Viridescent” in the first stanza referred to the fact that the medallion was made of a green marble substance this year. The second stanza referred to a home directly across from the park’s entrance, which carries the address 1775 Highway 96. With independence being declared in 1776, hunters were told to “start just before.” Finally, “front door” hinted that hunters were looking for an address in order to crack the clue. We also added coffee to the clue as it is a well-known export of the country of Colombia. 

“Shuttling” pointed to the Space Shuttle Columbia, which was at the center of the United States space exploration from 1981 until its tragic disintegration upon reentry in 2003.  This clue also confirmed that the medallion was hidden in a park with a trail (albeit very short) and views of water (Whitaker Pond). “Park” also could point to Park Avenue, which runs into Columbia Park. “Thinking green” referred to the solar panel and water filtration station found toward the southern end of the park – as well as the dandelion plant at the top of our contraption. 

This year marks the 50th (“golden”) anniversary of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. One of the characters in the story is named Columbia. The most well-known song from the production is Time Warp, which carries a list of instructions on how to do the dance (“jig”). A summary of these steps can be found in the third line of the clue. In the song, Columbia has a solo in which she declares that she was walking down the street having a think when a guy gave her an evil wink. 

The card suit of interest would be the diamond, hinting to the baseball diamond found at Columbia Park. “White rectangles” referred to the crosswalk allowing pedestrians to cross Highway 96. There is also a five MPH change that occurs on Highway 96 in front of the park (35 to 40 MPH for westbound traffic; 40 to 35 MPH for eastbound traffic). 

Grace Street could be found to the west of the treasure site. The first stanza made several references to the late Grace Kelly. “Crowning” referred to Grace Kelly’s marriage to Prince Rainier (“Mountain Man”) of Monaco in 1956. Kelly died in a car crash in 1982 after experiencing a medical episode while driving. Finally “rear window” referred to the Alfred Hitchcock film by that name that Kelly starred in – opposite of James Stewart — in 1954. Clarence Street could also be found to the east of the treasure site.  Clarence was the name of an angel in the popular Christmastime film It’s A Wonderful Life (1946). After being assigned to George Bailey to help him come to value his life, Clarence jumps into a river (“leap” and “dive into the deep”) to trick George into saving him instead of jumping to take  his own life. “Flight tied to his sake” referred to the fact that (spoiler alert) Clarence was awarded a pair of wings for succeeding in his task. 

“Iconic” hinted that we were doing something new – a nod to the fact that the medallion had never been hidden at Columbia Park. “Town” placed the medallion in the Township and not the city. The main point of the clue, however, was to point to Highway 96 (“roads highly traveled”) but referring to major news and cultural events from the year 1996. “Isn’t it ironic” and “Don’t you think” referred to Alanis Morisette’s Ironic, a top song of the year. “Olympic event” pointed to the Atlanta Summer Olympics. Both the flip phone and Nintendo 64 debuted in 1996. Bill Clinton won his reelection that year with 49.2% of the popular vote. “Independence Day” and “twister” were top films of the year. “Dolly” pointed to the first cloned sheep. Lastly, 1996 saw the Spice Girls debut with the song Wannabe. How many ‘96 references did you find? 

“Stinky and slow” referred to two pieces of equipment – a skunk and turtle – found in the playground area where the medallion was hidden. A gherkin is a pickle. Pickleball can be played at the court just to the southwest of the medallion site. In the winter, a skating rink (“glide over ice”) can be found just south of where the medallion was hidden (the water hydrant used to flood it could be seen from the treasure site). 

In 2024, the medallion was hidden at Memorial Beach (“sandy”). Sand was also a traditional substrate found in playgrounds. This one, however, is full of wood chips. The third line put the medallion between two playground poles – one to the north of the medallion and one to the south. “Dandy” hinted at the dandelion plant with which the medallion was hidden. “Swing” referred to the swing equipment surrounding the hiding spot.

“Capital land” referred to Columbia, South Carolina or Washington DC (District of Columbia). Columbia is also a sports brand. The “zone for play” is the park’s playground. In the playground were several dandelion plants. One of them was carefully placed by us. 

Final hint to the location of the 2025 Manitou Days medallion.