St. Michael’s Dave Benkowski is going to be $1,000 richer after he tracked down the First American Bank Harvest Hunt Medallion off just the second clue Sunday, using a flashlight on his phone and a little bit of patience to find the coin under a lamp post near Highland Bank along Theilen Drive.
Benkowski was taking a break during last night’s Vikings game and decided to pick up his St. Michael history book – “Faith, Family and Farming,” penned by Bob Zahler. He tracked down the portion of the book dedicated to one of the community’s first medical professionals – Dr. Theilen, and his partner, Dr. Ludeman. Remembering that the frontage road along Highway 241 near Highland Bank had be named Theilen Drive, he made his way there around 9:30 p.m.
“I started looking around, and sooner or later the sheriff’s department showed up asking what I was doing in the area, because someone had reported some suspicious behavior,” Benkowski said.
Benkowski calmly discussed his situation with the authorities, and asked for one more chance to poke around some public land. While the deputies looked on, he reached under a light pole and pulled out the coin.
“It was a little crazy,” he said.
It’s not his first time being close, but it’s Benkowski’s first grand prize. He was within “about 10 feet” of the coin last year a number of times he said, which was hidden on some public property near the Millside Tavern.
Benkowski, who was born in Corcoran and went to school in Buffalo, will receive his $1,000 prize from FAB during the Saturday night concert at St. Michael Daze and Knights, around 9 p.m.
Copyright 2015 North Wright County Today.
