2013 Oakdale Summerfest Medallion Hunt

References the fact that last year the medallion was located early in the search by a young searcher who cracked the code of the clues. As many seekers were disappointed that the search ended prematurely, the clue-writing committee felt it beneficial for all to make this year’s clues more challenging. Finally, the rules to play by: no climbing, swimming or digging is necessary to locate the medallion.

Pays due respect to the past mayor, current county commissioner and long-time resident, Ted Bearth. It’s an understatement to note that without Ted Bearth, Summerfest, as we know it today, may not/probably would not exist.Ted pours his heart and soul into this celebration and made the simple request of the clue committee to make certain everyone knew, early on, that the medallion WAS NOT hidden at Walton Park.

This year the OBPA (Oakdale Business & Professional Association) was approached by the Summerfest Royalty and in a joint effort to promote the sale/purchase of Summerfest buttons to help the Royalty. The Royalty agreed to place an additional $500 into the prize money if the person(s) who found the medallion had purchased a Summerfest button.

Clue No. 5 begins, not by accident, with the use of the word “well.” It is repeated a total of five times in this clue. Many would easily make the reference to Oakdale Well No. 5, located perhaps confusingly, near Richard Walton Park, where it has already been noted the medallion is not hidden. “Runners and walkers and cyclists” would further reference the paved path (city property) along Hadley Avenue. The remainder of the clue foretells the exact positioning of the medallion as it was hung on a branch, free-swinging, approximately two feet from the ground.

Gives more clarity to Clues 4 and 5. The medallion is not in a park, and it has a location relative to Oakdale Well No. 5 and now Clue No. 6 specifically references Hadley Avenue: the city’s Signature Street. Randy Bastyr has been an employee with the city of Oakdale for over 30 years and will be retiring just after Summerfest. Like Ted Bearth, Bastyr had devoted countless hours to Summerfest and deserves a huge thank you for his commitment to both the city and Summerfest.

The confusing reference to the number of hours Randy has spent each year is really a reference to the steel high voltage power poles that run adjacent to Hadley Avenue. Each tower, albeit faint and faded in many areas, is numbered. The medallion was hidden somewhere between tower No. 129 and tower No. 130.

Gives the specific details of the medallion’s location. The gold statue of the Angel Moroni sets atop the beautiful, Mormon Temple on Hadley Avenue. The medallion is encased in a zip-lock bag camouflaged with pine needles and attached to the branch of an evergreen tree along the walking/biking/running path on Hadley Avenue. Finally, a note that the OBPA, the organization that started and has funded this event since its inception in 2000, thanks all participants.