The deed is done.
Now the fun begins.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt kicks off Sunday, Jan. 20, and includes a new medallion, a chance to own a past medallion and a tweak to the rules.
Now in its 61st year, the hunt features clues published daily — online and in print — that challenge readers to find a small plastic “puck” planted somewhere on public land in Ramsey County. While the object of the search is small, the prize isn’t: The lucky finder can win up to $10,000.
The hunt runs through Jan. 31 unless the medallion is found before then.
This year, a St. Paul-based jeweler stepped up to create a novel version of the medallion with a wintry item floating inside it. The new version was created because the oft-photographed medallion used in the 2011 and 2012 hunts has been retired and will be given away. Watch for details at TwinCities.com/treasurehunt to register for a chance to own this piece of hunt history.
And in a change to hunt rules, the person who plucks the medallion from its hiding spot also must have a St. Paul Winter Carnival button registered in his/her name to claim the full $10,000 in prize money. This means groups or hunting partners cannot share registered buttons as in past years. The deadline to register online at winter-carnival.comis 11:59 p.m. Jan. 20.
Hunt clues will be released at about 11:30 p.m. at TwinCities.com each day of the hunt, with a “scrambled” clue released online an hour earlier to whet hunters’ appetites. First editions of the newspaper, which sometimes come out before 11:30 p.m., will be delivered to the Original Gabe’s by the Park, 991 N. Lexington Parkway, each day of the hunt.
To keep up with the hot parks and clue noodling, readers can go to the Pioneer Press hunt discussion board at blogs.twincities.com/treasurehunt/forums. To answer daily trivia questions about the hunt, go to Facebook.com/PPtreasurehunt. On Twitter, hunt discussions will be tagged with #pphunt. To receive email alerts each time a clue is posted, sign up at TwinCities.com/Treasurehuntemail.
The finder of the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt medallion must promptly return it to the Pioneer Press, 345 Cedar St., St. Paul, to qualify for the $2,500 initial cash prize. The finder can win an additional $2,500 for bringing in all of the published daily clues, clipped or copied from the Pioneer Press or printed from TwinCities.com, and providing them along with the found medallion. And if the finder has a button registered in his/her name, it means an extra $5,000.
Now, quit reading and get hunting.
John Brewer can be reached at 651-228-2093.
Copyright 2013 Pioneer Press.
