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2023 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt

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Submitted by Administrator on Tue, 11/01/2022 - 13:54
Hunt information
Dates:
First Clue:Sunday, January 22, 2023
Found on:Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Finders:
NameHometown
Ken Soles
Prize:
Maximum Prize:$10,000
Awarded Prize:$10,000
Location:
General Location:Phalen Park
Exact Location:On the Hill Between the Park Entrance and the Beach House
Concealer:A Can of Corn
Clues
Clue #1
Published on Sunday, January 22, 2023
The viral pandemic is now endemic
And the battle’s on for Ukraine
Take a break from the news to follow your muse
And tackle these rhymes with your brain
Explanation:
We invite you to another new treasure hunt. Tackling implies football, but tackling with your brain suggests no physical contact. That leads you to futsal, which is played at St. Paul recreation centers, including the one at Phalen, which is not far from where the medallion is hidden.
Our Thoughts:
Let's not forget the Jim Zielinski/Volodymyr Zelenskyy connection with the 1973 medallion in Phalen Park. But we suppose if they did that, the wouldn't have been able to use the current President of Ukraine in clue 8. They probably could have gotten away with that though, had they mentioned that the likely etymology of "Ukraine" is "borderland" and Phalen Park is on the border.
 
Clue Rating: 
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Clue #2
Published on Monday, January 23, 2023
Descend from your perch, set out to search
East side, west side, all around the town
Glory will reign when you find the chain
To go with your cap and gown.
Explanation:
“East side” is the main clue here, since that’s where Phalen Park is located. “Glory will reign” invokes the Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church, whose steeple can be seen from the hiding spot, while “cap and gown” infers the schools that have Phalen in their name, such as the Phalen Lake school on Cypress. “Chain” refers to the fact that Lake Phalen is part of a chain of lakes.
Our Thoughts:
After the 1973 hunt history reference in clue 1, this gives us a 2004 hunt history reference since 2004's clue four started with "East Side, West Side, take your honey for a ride", with the exact same reference for "East Side" The problem here, is the stretch to Phalen Lake Elementary School down Cypress St. It feels a bit "coldest-star-ish". But at least it wasn't obscure like that one was, so we'll allow it.
 
Clue Rating: 
4
Average: 4 (1 vote)
Clue #3
Published on Tuesday, January 24, 2023
A bomb cyclone hit our wintry zone
On the chin, buckling our knees
Get up at your leisure to seek our fine treasure
Find fortune and live life of ease
Explanation:
“Chin” and “knees” in second line, and “fortune” (as in fortune cookie) in the fourth line lead you to the new Chinese garden in Phalen Park, the park where the medallion is hidden.
Our Thoughts:
We're not sure about this one. If rock star was a bit tacky as a reference to the only atomic bomb drops on this earth, this one may be right up next to it.
 
Clue Rating: 
3
Average: 3 (1 vote)
Clue #4
Published on Wednesday, January 25, 2023
If treasure's your mark, take a waltz in the park
Be ready to meet your match
Strap on your glove, look up above
For an object ripe for the catch
Explanation:
This clue refers to the proverbial lazy fly ball or “can of corn” that both suggests a baseball field (as does “match” and “strap on your glove”) and the literal can of corn in which we hid the medallion (specifically, Sun Luck Stir-Fry Baby Corn).
Our Thoughts:
I'm not sure one normally straps on a baseball glove, but this one actually works as a double meaning clue. Triple meaning, if you note that Orange Avenue (look up above for an object ripe for the catch), were it to be complete, would nick the southern tip of Lake Phalen.
 
Clue Rating: 
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No votes yet
Clue #5
Published on Thursday, January 26, 2023
Have you the right stuff to seek diamond in rough?
Then scrounge through stick and cone
If you want a big thrill look for a hill
To spy a treasure to own
Explanation:
Diamond refers to baseball field that is part of Phalen, while hill refers to the topography where the medallion is hidden. On a plaque erected in 1997 to honor people who helped save the Gillette building are the names Dimond, Hill, and Cohen.
Our Thoughts:
This is far too British-sounding for any good use (think nursery rhymes like baa baa black sheep have you any wool). Dialects aside, this one also actually works as an early indicator of the part of the park to look in if you were in the right park. Of course there are plenty of other things in this clue to solidfiy your grasp on an incorrect park if you were already there as well.
 
Clue Rating: 
3
Average: 3 (1 vote)
Clue #6
Published on Friday, January 27, 2023
Stop all your prattle, you were born for battle
Defend your liberties and rights
Be ever so bold to seize silver and gold
By keeping the prize in your sights
Explanation:
There are a number of streets on Phalen Park west boundary that are named for states. The clues consist of key words from the mottoes of three of those states: “Battle born” = Nevada Avenue; “liberties and rights” = Iowa Avenue; and “gold and silver” = Montana Avenue.
Our Thoughts:
The only problem with this clue is that, after getting you to the correct area of the park in the last clue, this one pulls you north, and farther away. If you're looking for street name references as bounds for the hunt, between this and clue 10's "direct and dignified" for Frank and Earl Streets, those bounds would literally put you in the lake. We're gonna stick with the theory here that for the last 20 years, Ma Press has written and fixed the first, 11th, and 12th clues. They then write 20 more clues and give them each a number. They then turn to the dart board hanging in the break room and throw a dart at it. Whichever number gets hit is the clue that goes in that night's paper.
 
Clue Rating: 
0
No votes yet
Clue #7
Published on Saturday, January 28, 2023
Buddy you're a big star, got a name to go far
Killing it down where they park the car
But you lied to their face, became a big disgrace
Better pack up and get outta this place
Explanation:
This is the story of Phalen Park namesake, Edward Phelan (somehow the spelling changed over the years), a hotheaded former Fort Snelling soldier suspected of killing his partner, with whom he lived near the present site of the Xcel Center Parking Garage in downtown St. Paul. He beat the murder rap, but later fled town when he was charged with perjury. “Disgrace” invokes “Be Graceful Cafe” on Lake Phalen in the park. This clue was inspired by Queen’s “We will rock you” (our apologies), which explains the slightly altered rhyme scheme.
Our Thoughts:
The clue writer got talent, for sure. They should have actually matched the cadence of the song (you can't sing it to the rhythm of "We will rock you", just try it. If they had they wouldn't have needed to give apologies), instead of trying to work with both cadences, but alas. However, in a since-updated Google Map aerial view, we could find what presumably was a city Parks and Rec truck parked on the grass a stone's throw from the treasure's hiding spot. This actually makes us wonder, did they look? And if so, that's a heck of a risk, because the image was updated within days of the end of the hunt.
 
Clue Rating: 
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Clue #8
Published on Sunday, January 29, 2023
Not with cape, but maybe rake,
A hero, by another name,
With studious guys, searched for the prize
And up north the puck did claim.
Explanation:
This clue lets hunters know we’ve hidden the puck in a park that’s been used before (three times, to be exact). It was found by four college friends there in 1973, including one Jim Zielinski, who shares a similar-sounding name with one of the world’s current heroes, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the current president of Ukraine. The current hiding spot is south of the 1973 location.
Our Thoughts:
There's some discrepancy as to how many times the medallion has been hidden in Phalen Park. In the find article after the 2004 hunt, they pulled the 1958 find, under the Highway 61 bridge over the channel between Phalen and Keller Lakes, as Phalen Park. Technically they're right, since the City of St. Paul owns the land directly adjacent to the channel, making it part of Phalen Park, while Ramsey County owns the land on either side of the city's land making it Keller Park. This would actually make a great clue like the clue. They could say "Was it four? Was it three? We can't seem to agree" for something like this and have some fun with it.
 
Clue Rating: 
0
No votes yet
Clue #9
Published on Monday, January 30, 2023
I entered at night, and could see an arched light
And fields where children playeth.
If you want exact location, well, that’s not my vocation
Where it is? I’ll no saith.
Explanation:
From the spot near the south entrance to the park, the arched Phalen Recreation Center can be seen, it’s gym lights bright in the darkness; nearby are ballfields for children to play. Again, we go back to the well – or hill, in this case – and explicitly tell hunters through an anagram (“I’ll no saith”) that it’s on a hill.
Our Thoughts:
For as often as we hunt at night, the arched lights at Phalen Rec Center never even crossed our minds. The purple-illuminated arch at the entrance to the China pavilion however......
 
Clue Rating: 
0
No votes yet
Clue #10
Published on Tuesday, January 31, 2023
The hunt can go long, but we won’t steer you wrong
We try to stay direct and dignified.
There’s no need to wade, or work on your fade
As you dig a month of snow outside.
Explanation:
A clue to put you in the right vicinity of the prize, we mention “steer” to conjure thoughts of driving, followed by synonyms for nearby streets Frank and Earl (“direct” and “dignified”), which act as guardrails for searching Phalen. We also let hunters know to stay away from water (“wade”) and the golf course (“fade,” a term that describes a shot in golf). We also let hunters know the puck was in place for a while before the hunt, so they’ll need to get in there and dig to find it.
 
Clue Rating: 
0
No votes yet
Clue #11
It was thoughts prurient that vexed him esurient.
About the prize, his past dreams had gone kaput.
He struck out for one more chance, his mind hotly entranced
To explore a region quickly reached by foot.
Explanation:
This clue has a few elements to zero in hunters already in Phalen Regional Park: being esurient for something means to have a great hunger for it – and in Phalen the seasonal cafe is near the hiding spot; Entranced is a pretty easy get – look near an entrance of the park; and “quickly reached by foot” means it shouldn’t take a long hike to reach the prize’s keep.
 
Clue Rating: 
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Clue #12
A repeat park, not on a lark,
To Phalen we were bidden.
To protect the prize, we did surmise
In can of baby corn the puck would be hidden.

From a café full of grace, it’s time to race
Up a hill behind a house on the beach
Amidst thin trees there, we tossed into air
A tinned treasure, now in reach.
Explanation:
We give the details in the final clue for finding the medallion. On a cold night before the hunt, hands numb, the puck was thrown onto a snowy hill in Phalen (a three-time repeat park in the hunt). Hunters are encouraged to dig until they find the prize, tucked into a can of baby corn. Starting at the Be Graceful Cafe/Beach House, head up a hill behind the building and look for a stand of thin trees. The puck landed amidst the trees there and sunk into the snow.
 
Clue Rating: 
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