2014 Hugo Spike | Cooler Crew

Submitted by Joe Medallion (not verified) on Thu, 05/29/2014 - 3:54 PM

The Hunt for the Golden Spike is back! Hugo's own treasure hunt begins Thursday, June 5 at 8 a.m. Spike will be hidden somewhere in a Hugo park on public property just waiting to be found.

Our sponsors have made it possible for this family-friendly event to be held once again. Thanks goes to: The City of Hugo and its Parks Commission; Key Automotive, 14797 Forest Blvd. N., Hugo; Ideal Credit Union (formerly PCU), 14750 Victor Hugo Blvd. N., Hugo; Lake Area Mortgage, 14602 Everton Ave. N., Hugo; St. Croix Saddlery, 5525 141st St. N., Hugo; Wise Guys Pizza, 7095 20th Ave. S., Centerville; Hawaiian Tan, 14643 Mercantile Dr. N., Hugo; and Kelly's Korner Bar, 7098 Centerville Road, Centerville.

The Hunt for the Golden Spike is an annual event that has been brought to you by The Citizen since 2006, Hugo's Centennial Year. Hugo was a railroad town, and Spike commemorates the city's early history.

Before the hunt begins, we hope you'll visit sponsoring businesses and get your Golden Ticket stamped to qualify for more than $1,000 in cash and gift certificates.

Happy hunting!

Official Rules

(these rules were updated Tuesday, June 3)

• The first three treasure hunt clues are published in The Citizen’s May 29 edition and on our website, www.readthecitizen.com.

• A new clue will be posted on The Citizen’s website (www.readthecitizen.com) two times daily Thursday through Saturday, June 5-7 (at approximately 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.); the last clue will

be posted at approximately 8 a.m. Sunday, June 8. (If you’re parked on our website, don’t forget to hit the refresh button to update the page!)

• Clues may also be posted at participating sponsors’ places of business.

• The Citizen reserves the right to discontinue the hunt at any time if public property is destroyed. Spike will not be buried, so shovels are not needed.

• If you find the Golden Spike, immediately call the Spike Hotline (651-503-3522) to qualify for a $100 instant cash prize. No purchase is necessary to win.

• The Citizen will also award up to $400 in additional cash and $700 in gift certificates good at area businesses to the Spike finder if he/she has a completed “Golden Ticket” form (download one from this page), officially stamped by all of the individual sponsors of the 2014 “Hunt for the Golden Spike.” (There is no button this year.)

• The completed Golden Ticket must be provided no later than 5 p.m. Sunday, June 8 and at the same time the instant cash prize is awarded. Late Golden Tickets will not be accepted.

• If the Spike finder does not have a completed “Golden Ticket” the remaining prize money and gift certificates will be donated to the Hugo Good Neighbors Food Shelf building fund. The Citizen and Press Publications will be the sole arbiter of what constitutes a completed “Golden Ticket.”

• A portion of all sponsorships will be donated to the Hugo Good Neighbors Food Shelf building fund.

• If Spike is not found by noon on Sunday, June 8, all prize money and gift certificates will be donated to the Hugo Good Neighbors Food Shelf building fund.

• Park maps are available from official sponsors while supplies last. Hunters can also find park and open space maps posted on the Hugo Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission’s Web page (www.ci.hugo.mn.us, click on “Resident Info” and select “Parks & Rec” from the drop-down menu). PLEASE NOTE: Although Oneka Golf Course, Wild Wings of Oneka Hunt Club and the Bald Eagle Sportsmen’s Association are shown on the city’s open space map, Spike is NOT hidden on private property.

• All contestants agree that The Citizen, Press Publications, the Hugo Lions Club and their respective affiliate companies, parents, subsidiaries, advertising representatives and agents will have no liability whatsoever, and will be held harmless by contestants of any injuries, losses or damages of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of the prizes or participation in this contest.

• Except where legally prohibited, by accepting the prize, the winner grants permission for The Citizen, Press Publications and those acting under its authority to use his or her name, photograph and/or likeness for advertising and/or publicity.

• All contest rules and decisions are final.

• Employees of Press Publications and their immediate family members are not eligible to win.

• For a list of winners, write to The Citizen, P. O. Box 393, Hugo, MN 55038 and enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

Hunt Information

Dates

Scheduled Dates

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Find Date

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Finders

Name

Darin Ostertag

Hometown

Hugo

Prize

Maximum Prize

$1,000

Location

General Location

Irish Avenue Park

45.153717, -92.939959

Clues

Clue 1

Published Date

Wednesday, May 28, 2014, 7:00 PM

Winter's gone, and we're presumin'
In every yard the flowers are bloomin'.
The kids all shout, "School's almost out!"
— Good Neighbor Days is finally loomin'!

The official meaning of the clue.

Background information.

Clue Rating

Clue 2

Published Date

Wednesday, May 28, 2014, 7:00 PM

Listen closely, and you will hear
Of fun the Lions have planned this year.
Somewhere in Hugo, Spike's on the lam.
To find him, you must shake a gam.

The official meaning of the clue.

Background information.

Clue Rating

Clue 3

Published Date

Wednesday, May 28, 2014, 7:00 PM

It’s game time! So begins the quest.
You won't need shovels, you won’t need tools,
But you must surely read the rules.
(We’re serious, as you've likely guessed.)

Read them please. Don't miss the mark.
And if you do as you are bidden,
You’ll know that Spike is carefully hidden
On public land, in a city park.

The official meaning of the clue.

Background information.

Clue Rating

Clue 4

Published Date

Wednesday, June 4, 2014, 7:00 PM

Your Spike success long overdue?
Don’t miss a clue! Dreams do come true.
Check out each park on Hugo’s list.
No park’s too small to be dismissed
(Lions Park is not to be missed).
From park to park, go make the lap —
Be prepared. Take a map.2

2Maps are available on this Web page or at sponsors’ places of business. You can also visit www.ci.hugo.mn.us for additional city maps.

The official meaning of the clue.

Suggests that “No park’s too small to be dismissed” — conversely, no park is too large, either. Irish Avenue Park is the largest of Hugo’s parks, at 125 acres in size.

Clue Rating

Clue 5

Published Date

Wednesday, June 4, 2014, 7:00 PM

The sward of green is serpentine;
Landmarks are few and far between.
Sunwise or widdershins it will be:
You’ll choose one, as you will see.
(This park has limits you must not pass;
Respect them, please. Don’t be a donkey.)

The official meaning of the clue.

Intimated that “Landmarks are few and far between,” hinting that the park is secluded in nature; it also included a reference to the circular path in the park (“sunwise” and “widdershins” are antiquated terms meaning “clockwise” and “counter-clockwise,” respectively). Irish Avenue is the only city park to contain a circular walking or riding path of any significant size.

Clue Rating

Clue 6

Published Date

Thursday, June 5, 2014, 7:00 PM

This playground of Nature’s creation
Calls for some imagination.
Free your minds, you’ll see more signs:
Ogres climb from the bog below,
A granite turtle on tiptoe.

The official meaning of the clue.

Referred to the rural nature of the park (“This playground of Nature’s creation”) and threw in a few visual clues. “Ogres climb from the bog below” was a reference to two huge, gnarly trees hunched over a wetland (headed sunwise on the path) and the “granite turtle” referred to a turtle-like, flat-bottomed rock that appeared to be climbing an adjacent rock (even further sunwise). In a park consisting of mostly grass, trees and swamp, these were natural features that were noticeable.

Clue Rating

Clue 7

Published Date

Thursday, June 5, 2014, 7:00 PM

Spike’s legacy is long and storied;
And in this park, others have quarried.
Here, DEET is likely your best friend
(Liberal use brings dividends).
Avoid the tarn, the lower ground
To earn “Spike Finder” renown.

The official meaning of the clue.

“Others have quarried” phrase referred to Irish Avenue Park’s former history as a gravel pit. Hugo residents who read The Citizen and follow the local news would likely know this. Searchers were also warned to bring bug spray and to avoid the lower ground — no sense in getting muddy!

Clue Rating

Clue 8

Published Date

Friday, June 6, 2014, 7:00 PM

One sign for welcome, three more for warning;
The southern slopes get sun in morning.
Those who dress for exploration
Are less likely to incur frustration
An aerial view provides the clue
That luck accrues to those who “do”
(And get their Golden Ticket stamped).

The official meaning of the clue.

Refers to the welcome sign along Irish Avenue and three natural gas line warning signs along the path to the “southern slopes” where Spike was hidden. The gas line was installed years ago to connect to a temporary asphalt plant at the pit. This clue also referred to the excellent view of the “aerial,” or cell phone tower north of the park boundary, from Spike’s hiding place. And, for good measure, the clue refers to the “luck” of the Irish. (Okay, it’s a long shot.)

Clue Rating

Clue 9

Published Date

Friday, June 6, 2014, 7:00 PM

To Irish Avenue Park, you should get:
Some years ago, a gravel pit.
A solitary “southern” pine
Shaped like a pine cone by design
Is the point from which you draw a line.
Where? Think Ulysses’ song! then take a sight
And swing an angle to the right

The official meaning of the clue.

Revealed the identity of the park and suggested searchers locate a pine cone-shaped tree from which to sight a line toward the emergency “siren” (Ulysses was the hero of the Odyssey who wanted to hear the Sirens’ song) and swing an angle to the right to find Spike’s hiding place.

Clue Rating

Clue 10

Published Date

Saturday, June 7, 2014, 7:00 PM

An angle of 40 degrees (more or less).
No compass? Then give it your best guess.
Up the hill you’ll find the quarry
Mere paces from a berried tree.

The official meaning of the clue.

Specified that angle as 40 degrees in width, naming Spike’s hiding place near a “berried tree.” Ostertag said he spotted a small red cedar tree — a species of juniper — which he knows produces tiny blue berries (and this tree was no exception; the berries were visible). Spike was about five paces southeast of the tree, lying in the grass.

Clue Rating