2005 Pioneer Press Capture the Flag Summer Hunt

States that the "prize" is hidden in a park in St. Paul. "High time" indicates that the hiding place is an elevated area (in this case, Mounds Park).

Indicates that while the contest is called "Capture the Flag," the hidden object is not a flag ("no flutter or wave will be seen"). Instead, hunters are directed to look for a "plastic" object wrapped in "red" cloth and "green" tape. "A deke or two amid our clues" warns hunters that some of the clues may be misleading.

"A place of improvement with varieties of movement" refers to the St. Paul riverfront, where many public improvements have occurred and where all types of transportation (by rail, car, boat and airplane) can be seen. "Look for bikers and hikers" refers to a paved trail near the hiding place. "A save of sorts but not in sports" refers to the fact that the hiding place is in a large wooded area once known as the Municipal Forest Preserve ("preserve" is a synonym for "save"). "Find a trail in" tells hunters that they will have to use a trail to reach the hiding place. "Failin'" is a pun on Phalen and is designed to misdirect hunters to Phalen Park.

The state fish hatchery below Mounds Park is a "place for beginners." A star is a "heavenly guide" and in this case refers to a monument known as "Star Hill," located just east of the hiding place. The monument consists of trees and paths (now partially obscured) that originally formed the shape of a star. It was built by the Order of the Eastern Star, a Masonic women's group. "Look for a famed pig" refers to Pig's Eye Lake (named after early settler Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant). The lake is visible in a "long view" from the blufftop near the hiding place. "You won't be hotter too close to the water" tells hunters that the prize isn't near a lake, river or stream but suggests it isn't far from Burns Avenue. "Branch out" indicates that the object is hidden in a wooded area.

"A president or two" (Andrew Johnson and Lyndon Johnson), "a governor of capitol renown" (John Johnson, memorialized in a statue on the State Capitol Mall) and a "school of hockey fame" (Johnson High School in St. Paul) all refer to Johnson Parkway, which ends near the hiding place. "Jumping" is a another clue pointing to Mounds Park, where a ski jump was located in the 1920s and 1930s. "Candy" is a Mounds Bar, while "liquor" is a reference to Obb's Sports Bar and Grill, located less than a block from the hiding place.

The first stanza contains references to one of Bob Dylan's most famous albums, "Highway 61 Revisited." The highway, which runs all the way to the end of the Mississippi River, is just east of the hiding place. The clues in the second stanza all refer to streets near the hiding place. These include Etna St. ("erupt", as in Mt. Etna), Clarence St. (Clarence was the name of the "angel" in the classic movie, "It's A Wonderful Life"), and Burns Avenue ("too much heat"). Finally, "take the obvious stride" is another reference to Obb's Bar.

Gives specific directions to the object, which was located beneath loose leaves and bark by a solitary pine tree along a trail running back from the bluff almost due south of the intersection of Burns Avenue and Clarence Street.