2010 White Bear Lake Manitou Days Treasure Hunt

We disposed of the special coin on a cold night in April, long before anyone would suspect us to be hiding a medallion. We have been caught hiding the medallion twice: once at Lion’s Park and once at West Park. We also wanted to plant the medallion before the grass started to grow as to avoid creating footprints/indentations. The medallion was wrapped in grass and surrounded with a clay/water “muck” that resembled a loose, but muddy, piece of ground. “Lawin” referred to Lawin Enterprise, a business located in a building adjacent to the park. We warned you to use common sense because of I-35E running to the west of the park and railroad tracks to the south. “Town,” well this year anyways, referred to White Bear Township.

The first stanza referred to the HPM (Herold Precision Metals) company on Hammond Avenue. The “joyful foreteller” is a herald, “accuracy” is precision, and “being of mettle” is a pun on metal. The first verse also hints at Porous Media, another business on Hammond Avenue. “Print and broadcast” point to media while “easily permeates” to porous. The second stanza referenced another center of business, this time to the south/southwest of the medallion. The building houses Omni Track Surgical and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Omni” is the name of a hotel, a large screen (Omni Theater), and former science magazine. “Track” refers to the businesses’ middle name, and “restorative slicing” to the company’s surgical focus. “Another’s winter hunt” references the St. Paul Pioneer Press and its Winter Carnival hunt.

“Flora and fauna” is “nature” and “middle” is “center” – giving us “Nature Center.” The medallion was hidden in a park very near Tamarack (“named for one of the woods”) Nature Center. The first stanza, however, also warns treasure hunters NOT to search there, as it is too big. The second stanza refers to a place where you may have parked. The two large parking lots in Polar Lakes Park are labeled. One of them is the “Poplar” lot. If you add a ‘u’ – or ‘you’ – to Poplar you get “popular.” Finally, the last stanza hinted at the concession stand found between Field 2 & 3. On the southeast corner of the concession stand is a white (“ghostly”) handprint. A key scene of The Blair Witch Project takes place in a building whose walls are decorated with a series of handprints.

“Recreational frolicking” refers to the many sports fields at Polar Lakes Park. The “circles for rollicking” point at the balls used to play them. “Some will violate regulation” warns of the ‘No Golfing’ signs located in the park. Other signs in the park warn visitors to put their dogs on a leash. Ann and Dan are the names of the two coonhounds in Wilson Rawl’s Where The Red Fern Grows. The second verse speaks of The Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which is said to have been started by a cow kicking over a lantern. One of the few surviving monuments of that event is the city’s beautiful water tower, found along Michigan Avenue. “Ours sport far less design and décor” makes mention of the very large, but simple water tower near Township Hall. The last stanza refers to Taylor Swift and her song “You Belong With Me.” A “sewer” is a tailor and another word for “quick” is swift. In the song there is a line stating that while the other woman is a cheerleader on the field, she sits in the bleachers. Several sets of bleachers can be found in the park as a huge component of Polar Lakes’ charm is its ballfields.

The first stanza is about Darrell Hammond, the longest appearing member of the Saturday Night Live cast (“one night star”) and a star in the movie “Epic.” One of Darrell’s signature acts on Saturday Night Live was his impersonation of former president Bill Clinton (“quite presidential”). Hammond Road runs into the park. A local living in Siberia, well way up at the top of Siberia, might live in an igloo. Catherine the Great, czarina of Russia (1762-1796), added on to St. Petersburg’s Winter Palace during her reign, but our “winter palace” would be the igloo found in the playground area of Polar Lakes Park. The last verse makes note of some of the characteristics of Polar Lakes Park: Lakes (well, the ballfields named after lakes), trees and birds. But, more importantly, it points out the noise of traffic: tires (grooved elastomer) pounding the pavement on nearby I-35E.

Here you are introduced to Norman and Ethel, who are main characters in the 1981 film “On Golden Pond.” Golden Pond is a special oasis for the couple (a “bethel”) and a road by that name can be found southwest of the medallion’s hiding place (it becomes Township Parkway at its intersection with White Bear Parkway). As you entered the park you surely saw the large arch near the Public Works building, which is used to cover material used for road conditioning in the winter. A bit reminiscent of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis (hinted at with “place for meetin’,” as in the 1944 film “Meet Me In St. Louis”), but it was perhaps a bit over the top to suggest that ours was better. Finally, you are given a clue pointing at the Township Center, located within view of the medallion’s hiding place. The hint refers to Robert’s Rules of Order, created by U.S. Army Major Henry Martyn Robert, to aid in facilitating conversations/decision-making within a deliberate assembly.

Most hunters likely approached Polar Lakes Park on Hammond Road. The house on the corner of Otter Lake Road and Hammond Avenue is a very distinct color of yellow. As one travels west on Hammond Avenue, one sees the large polar bear on the township water tower (“predator on high”). Following it will lead you to the park and its ballfields (sand) named after lakes (water). The second stanza refers to Johnny Cash’s 1955 famous hit “Folsom Prison Blues.” The sound that makes the song’s character “hang his head and cry” is that of a train whistle. The medallion was hidden not far from train tracks. Finally, one educational characteristic of the park is its signs about wetland restoration. The park was replanted after all native vegetation was destroyed by invasive Canary Weed. To help bring you to the idea of plant life, “vacuoles” were mentioned, as you will only find them in plant cells. The sign telling the story of the “maleficent canaries” is near ballfield #3 (White Bear) when walking toward the billboard.

Some anagram action is occurring in the first verse. “’Ol rap” can be rearranged to spell “Polar.” “Take a stroll around the lakes” again refers to the ballfields, which are named after local lakes. The final two lines point at the chilly nature of the park’s name. This clue also distinctly states that hunters should focus their search to parks in the northern region of White Bear Township. The last stanza pointed hunters toward a weedy area of the park and to a medallion wrapped in grass.

This clue points explicitly tells hunters to search near Goose Lake, well the ballfield labeled “Goose Lake,” at Polar Lakes Park. “Place where you can see it all” points to the large, grassy knoll overlooking the outfield. “Have a ball” further hints at the ballfield.

These were the final hints to the 2010 Manitou Days medallion. The coin was hidden between a stand of oak trees and a sign saying “297 feet.” It was not thrown into the grass but carefully placed at the base of a small sapling.