2023 TC Treasure/Chippewa Valley Blue Ox Bonanza Treasure Hunt

To all those concerned, the time has returned
For the TC-Chippewa showdown, 
So pick up a fiddle and give it a twiddle;
Let’s have ourselves a hoedown!

With much jubilation, a folk celebration—
The finest in all the Midwest;
A yearly revival for Summer’s arrival
At Blue Ox Music Fest!

The following counties comprise the boundaries:
Eau Claire, Chippewa, Dunn—
For a hunter most wise to uncover the prize:
Three days of folk, art, and fun!

So rise with the lark to hunt for the park
And give our verses a study:
Closely peruse and examine our clues
To pinpoint Paul Bunyan’s blue buddy!

All right, Seekers: lace up your sneakers;
It’s time for the Blue Ox Bonanza—
A seven-day, free-to-play
Treasure extravaganza!

Outwit our ruse by cracking the clues—
One every morning at nine—
Seeking the goods within the woods,
Pursuing a park full of pine.

Don’t get it twisted; our hide was assisted
By seeking existing shelter—
With poetic license, the hunter in crisis
Is shielded from rain, sun, and swelter.

So stake your claim and win the game
By sticking to public grounds—
But do not damage land or plantage
Or walk on sacred mounds.

Newly rechristened, the town elders listened
For a whisper on the breeze;
The moniker came with a duplicate name,
Like the sound of the wind through the trees.

It wouldn’t be wrong to saw out a song
On the world’s smallest violin—
You might feel the spirit as you get near it;
Find it by searching within.

A civilization of the private persuasion
That keeps its secrets airtight,
Their riddle akin to the treasure within—
A precious jewel hidden from sight.

So follow your leads to the sacred beads,
Deposited right on the money;
Be sure not to dawdle—recycle your bottle,
Scrounging for berries and honey.

Keep ‘er movin’—dancin’ and groovin’
While listening to the lyrics;
Adventure calls below the falls—
So boogie down with the spirits!

Jump in on a whim and go for a swim—
You’re either floating or sinking—
To crack our case across from a place
Renowned for heavy drinking.

As you reach for glory, to reclaim the story—
A prophecy yet to fulfill—
On grounds historical, meet with the oracle;
Rise to the crest of the hill.

With sweet incentive to be anal retentive,
It helps to stretch out and get limber;
On hands and knees, watch out for bees
As you clean out the hollow timber.

We stashed the box with Babe the Blue Ox—
Still hidden, for worse or for better;
To get in the game, just spell out the name—
Backward through each clue’s first letter.

Amid forests green, to the space between,
Through open fields, bright and sunny—
Forage over the grasses and clover
To make a Discovery of Honey.

A queen among bruins emerged from the ruins
To feast on the sweetest of snacks,
When a bee flew out to sting her snout—
Freezing her right in her tracks.

And there she waits (near one of the greats)—
One’s trash is another’s treasure;
Just stoop to unclog the hollow log:
Blue Ox Bonanza forever!