2019 Manitou Days Medallion Hunt Moon Lake Park, White Bear Township 

 Clue #1: Looking for an event that pays during Manitou Days?  Well, five Ben Franklins should bring you pleasure.  �e lake may be low – but our civic pride over�lows:  So, grab a friend and come search for hidden treasure!   Tap the force to chart your course  Let intelligence and lunacy meet.  Embrace your inner titan as you’re fightin’  Claim your place among the hunting elite.  Explanation:  While the purpose of the first stanza is to simply welcome hunters to this event, the second contained some important information about the park hosting this year’s festivities. “Lunacy” pointed at Moon Lake Park, as did “titan” – the largest moon orbiting Saturn.  Clue #2: In May of ’58 residents held an historic debate  �ere, on the cool shores of Goose Lake.  A municipality born, but no one could forewarn  �e cartographical form that it would later take.   With a little zeal, a few clicks can reveal  Information that’ll make your heart quake.  Mind this order: study the meandering border  Explore the original town of White Bear Lake.  Explanation:  In May of 1858 residents met at the old town hall on the shore of Goose Lake and o�ficially created the town of White Bear. Over time, what is now called the city of White Bear Lake became its own entity and the rest became predominantly White Bear Township. �e second stanza refers to the less than obvious borders that this separation of city and township created and hinted at the fact that the medallion was hidden around the border region of the Township. More about the history of White Bear Township can be found at its website .  Clue #3: From a bird’s eye view, let all creativity imbue  Imagine three ponds of water connected as one.  �e horse looks southwest…see what we suggest?  Now o�f to that neighborhood you run!   Now, among the frogs slant weathered logs  Just more unanswered calls along the track.  Still wanting more? Seek out padlocks galore  A�fixed to structures just right for the pack.  Explanation:  

For the first half of this clue, Google maps or another satellite view was essential. If you look at the area west of Centerville Road you will spot three ponds that, when combined, create the image of a seahorse. �e “horse” looks southwest. �e last part of the clue referred to landmarks in Moon Lake Park itself. “Weathered logs” and “unanswered calls along the track” pointed at the telephone poles that are no longer in use along the railroad tracks. �e area below the poles is frequently �looded and one can o�tentimes hear frogs croaking. Also, along the main path of the park are many short pipes painted the colors green and gold, Packer colors (“just right for the pack.”)  Clue #4: A foreboding creature, a doctor’s feature  Speaking for those without voices.  Out of this he did pop, once it had lost its top  Scolding the green hands for his choices.   Assemble your legion along a border region;  Of boundaries make careful inspection.  Out of the pen run the goose and wren  With a farm serving as their connection.  Explanation:  No treasure hunt is complete without a little help from Dr. Seuss. �e first stanza refers to �e Lorax, a creature that emerged from a tree. During the story, the Lorax quarrels with the Once-ler, who was depicted only as a pair of green hands. �e medallion was hidden in a rotted tree stump. Finally, “border region” hinted at the medallion being hidden just a stone’s throw from North Oaks. On the other side of the tracks (“out of the pen”) are three roads: Blue Goose Road, Wren Lane & Robb Farm Road. Robb Farm Road connects the other two streets.  Clue #5: We’ve chosen a beautiful spot surrounded by many a lot  Busy families scurry to and fro.  Hear a labrador bark, see a meadowlark  A true conservational victory! But, read below:   We had to inquire, but waste was once burned by fire  And what remains lay safely sealed beneath your toes.  View objects of ventilation, some even with rotation  Turning and turning until all does finally decompose.  Explanation:  Hidden near many homes, Moon Lake park has undergone a great rebirth since its origins as a dumping ground. Some of the waste was buried below the park and several pipes are now used to help aerate that material.  Clue #6: Tired of games? Consider Percy and James  And, of course, the adventuresome �omas.  �e tide will turn where engines churn  And this is our sworn promise.   When at the right phase, a sonata plays  A gi�t of your loving Nanna.  But if you need fuel to locate our jewel  

Behold the crown of lady Diana.  Explanation:  “Percy” and “James” are characters from the children’s story “�omas �e Tank Engine.” �ese names, combined with the reference to engines churning, hinted at the nearby railroad tracks. �e final stanza is chalked full of moon references. In the first line is the word “phase” and a subtle nudge toward the “Moonlight Sonata.” “Nanna” is the Norse goddess of the moon. Finally, if you were to look at the crown of the goddess Diana you would find the image of the moon.  Clue #7: �e gray wolf howls, the werewolf prowls  When the elemental conditions are right.  Waxing and new, waning and blue  Here honors this signature of the night.   �e wise hunter pains for rotting remains  �at have something to hide.  Made for wiping and passing through piping  Ours is triple plied.  Explanation:  �is clue opens with more moon references. A wolf ’s howl is o�tentimes tied to a full moon, as is its folklore surrounding werewolves. “Waxing,” “waning” and “blue” are all terms tied to the moon. �e last part of the clue refers to the medallion’s specific location, in a rotten stump wrapped with toilet paper (“triple plied”).  Clue #8: Ignite the dark at a Township park  West of 35 is where you should stay.  Choose the right ground; there’s a few around  Head not to where Giants might play.   Want further advice? Follow the letter ‘W’ thrice  At its end awaits a treasure for you to claim!  �ink of old pals, neighbors to the golden gals  Empty nesters with a helpful last name.  Explanation:  Hunters are explicitly told to stay in White Bear Township and specifically west of the freeway. Another park in that area, Meadowlands (“where Giants play”) is to be avoided. A major street leading to Moon Lake Park is Weston Woods Way (“letter ‘W’ thrice”). Weston was the last name of the characters on the popular sitcom “Empty Nest,” which ran from 1988-1995.  Clue #9: �e wise commune at a park named for the moon  On Township land north of Highway 96.  Unearth some zen around a grassy glen  Yet do not fully abandon the sticks.  Explanation:  �is clue finally spells out Moon Lake Park and its specific location. It warns hunter to find a spot near lots of grass but yet still near trees. 

 Clue #10: Make a slight descent from the paved crescent  Count your steps into a hollow of oak.  Move with fervor, as you must push further  �is is no time to be a slow-poke.   Ignore the shack, continue your attack  Sail beyond the field of grass.  Halt the races a�ter a total of 270 paces  Or the precious treasure you’ll pass.   When you’ve finished your math, get o�f the path  Southerly is the direction you must tread.  Finding our rotten stump may be a pain in the rump  But it’s touching the tissue you’ll most dread.   We bid you adieu – we had fun, didn’t you?  Moon Lake Park. Gee, who would have known?  Next June we’ll return with a treasure to yearn  …And clues to make you toil and groan.  Explanation:  Final hints to the 2011 treasure!  �e Exact Location of Treasure: