2015 White Bear Lake Manitou Days Medallion Hunt

While the first clue welcomed hunters to the search, the clue was completely structured around a lonely brown and white sign found on the south end of the park. The first word of each line matches that on the sign (with the exception of the first two lines of the second stanza, which direct hunters to “draw a line” like the long white line seen on the sign). The final line of the first stanza also points to the red “No Golf” sign posted immediately below the other sign.

The first stanza hinted to visual cues from the parking lots area of the park. In the winter, Public Storage (“see what lay in store”), a billboard advertising Rudy’s Rooftop Redeye Grill (“rooftop view”), and Langer’s Tree Service, whose sign totes its quality mulch (“shredded yew”). “More sights than words” told hunters that all of these were visual clues and also hinted to a metal placard near the parking lot that stands empty. The second stanza pointed at Smarte Carte, a well-known local company headquartered near Fox Meadow Park. The word “wheel” hinted at the products sold by the company. “High IQ” hinted at the word “smart.” The clue also hints to the fact that both words in the company name are not traditionally spelled. The first two lines hinted that they extra letters are vowels (in Wheel of Fortune, the five primary vowels must be purchased).

The Shoreview (combine “where water meets land” and “see”) Towers (“pillars”) can be seen to the west of the park. The second stanza pointed to an interesting observation we had at the park. The first line invited hunters to consider the “borders” of the park and the trees (“barking”) along that boundary. Many pines (“cone” and “several on the sides”) can be seen. Yet only one pine is actually found within the bounds of the park and is located near the playground (“place of youthful confluence”).

The first stanza spoke to the streets around Fox Meadow Park. The third line started with the word “résoudre,” which is a French word for “to solve or decipher.” “Rues” (pronounced the same as “ruse”) is the French word for “streets.” If you look at your map, there are several streets in the immediate area that start with the letter P (“Parkway,” “Parkridge Dr,” “Pondview Ln,” “Pondview Drive,” “Parkway Ponds,” “Park Valley Ln,” “Preserve Pl,” etc…) and then a standout: Wild Goose Ln, which became the primary focus of the clue. “Wedge” is a name for the V-formation that geese make on their migration routes and “figure motherly” hinted at Mother Goose. “Carol’s feast” hinted at Charles Dickens’ goose feast in The Christmas Carol. If you complete “mon” with goose you arrive at “mongoose,” a common creature in Africa and Asia. Even if you missed those references, “down” and “game” also hinted at goose. 
The second stanza pointed to a very large stump at the entrance of the park, which was actually considered as a spot to hide the medallion. So, too, was a large pile of rocks (“sedimentary”) northeast of the stump. “Onsite” is also the name of the brand of port-a-potty next to the rock pile. 
 

The first stanza pointed to several yellow and back street signs indicating sharp curves along White Bear Parkway, which resemble “less than” and “greater than” signs commonly used in mathematical notation. Doe Circle and Bambi Lane (“deer” and “mother and son”) can found due north (“above”) of the medallion’s actual hiding spot. The second stanza placed the medallion tucked within the hole of a tree. The inside of the hole was dark and damp. “On and off the ground” hinted to hunters that, unlike most years, the medallion was not resting on the earth. “A stone’s throw from barrier gates” spoke to gates found in the parking lot at Cortec, a business to the southwest of the medallion’s hiding spot.

The first stanza involved cable news circuit, which seems to be full of “bluster” and folks trying to “besmirch” the other side of the political aisle. Cable was hinted at with “Come cast” (“Comcast”) in the first line and “news” in the second. If you take the network “Fox” and combine it with a MSNBC Anchor, “Rachel Maddow,” you could arrive at “Fox Maddow,” which sounds very similar to the park’s name. The second stanza mentioned “tilted sphere,” which pointed to an object in the playground with exactly that shape.

The first stanza hinted at a “telephone” feature in the playground area, which allows two people to stand at quite a distance and hear each other through small speaker/receivers. “Bell” hinted at Alexander Graham Bell, credited with inventing the telephone. “Hang up” also hinted at a large orange billboard with those words. Furthermore, the first stanza officially narrowed the hunt to White Bear Township. “Tunnel vision” in the second stanza pointed to a tunnel in the playground, made to look like a log while “handless precision” pointed to the soccer field found at the center of the park.

This clue officially revealed the park. In 2013, the group Ylvis released a song called What Does The Fox Say? in which the last line of this clue can be found. If you take the word “Fox” and combine it with “meadow” in the second line, you arrive at “Fox Meadow.”

Hidden within the hole of a tree, this clue expelled a little more information on how it was hidden. First, we took piece of thick cardboard and cut it to a size where it would fit snugly into the tree hole. We filled the area below the false bottom with moss and mushrooms (“fun guy”) from a nearby tree. The finder would have to move the mushroom and moss aside, reach up into the hole, give it “a big polar bear yank.”

Final directions to the treasure’s whereabouts. Thank you for participating and see you in 2016!