THE MEDALLION HAS BEEN FOUND!
The annual Winter Fete Medallion Hunt is over! On Thursday, January 27, with a lot of persistence and some help from four clues, Stephanie and Casey Auen found the medallion in its hiding place at the base of a ballfield backstop at Brookside Park. For their efforts, the winners will receive a prize package that includes an HD Fire tablet, plush heated blanket and smores maker. Scroll down to see all of the clues that were used to find the Medallion, plus all of the ones that weren't used (just for fun). We've even included explanations of what each of the clues means.
Congratulations Stephanie and Casey!
On the Hunt
The Third Annual Bloomington Parks and Recreation Medallion Hunt will take place in January and February, 2022 as part of Winter Fete. The hunt will end when someone finds the commemorative medallion, or on February 14, whichever comes first. The medallion will be hidden in one of Bloomington's 97 parks.
The Medallion
This is what you're looking for! It's about as big across as a hockey puck or a typical coffee table drink coaster.
Clues and Timing
Clues will be provided on Mondays and Thursdays on this web page and on the Facebook home of Bloomington Parks and Recreation.
NOTE: The first clue will actually be on Tuesday, January 18 due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. From then on, clues will be posted on Mondays and Thursdays until the medallion is found.
MEDALLION HUNT CLUES
- Clue #1: Tuesday, January 18
- The medallion can be found outdoors in a Bloomington park. You have 97 choices in which to embark.
- What it means: The medallion is outdoors...in one of Bloomington's 97 park spaces.
- Clue #2: Thursday, January 20
- The medallion finder will earn themselves a prize. Don’t dig, don’t destroy, and you might find where it lies.
- What it means: The medallion isn’t buried, inside of an enclosure or otherwise overly obscured. So you don’t have to dig it up or break into anything to find it.
- Clue #3: Monday, January 24
- Sports are nearby, but you don’t have to play. We hope you enjoy hunting during your Bloomington stay.
- What it means: The medallion is near something related to sports.
- Clue #4: Thursday, January 27
- The medallion finds itself woven within. Below 45 and 53 is the place where it’s been.
- What it means: 45+53 = 98. 98th is a street in Bloomington. The medallion is south of ("below") 98th Street.
Clues Not Used To Find the 2022 Medallion (Just for fun, since we worked so hard on the clever rhymes.)
- Clue #5 (would have posted Monday, January 31)
- On a scale between 1 and 22.5, this park has it all. Bring your family and friends, and perhaps a ball.
- What it means: 22.5 is the number of acres the park in which the medallion is hidden has.
- Clue #6 (would have posted Thursday, February 3)
- This hunt may have you thinking of many things. If you need a better clue, ask the 4th King of Kings.
- What it means: Xerxes was the 4th King of Kings. Xerxes is a street in Bloomington near which the medallion will be found.
- Clue #7 (would have posted Monday, February 7)
- If the King didn’t provide enough support for you, perhaps you might be helped out by 102.
- What it means: The medallion is located near 102nd street. So if you figured out the previous clues, you'd now know that it is off of Xerxes Avenue between 98th and 102nd streets.
- Clue #8 (would have posted Thursday, February 10)
- Parks and Rec can do only so much to help you look. If you have any friends, maybe ask Brook.
- What it means: Brook = a person's name, but of course also = the first part of Brookside Park.
- Clue #9 (would have posted Monday, February 14)
- If you have GPS, plug these numbers in. First to 44°49'18.2"N 93°19'11.1"W gets the Medallion Hunt win!
- What it means: It means no one found it based on the other eight clues, so here are directions to the medallion's precise location, let the race begin!
Prize Package
Whoever finds the Medallion will win a prize package that includes a Fire HD tablet, smores kit, plush heated blanket and more. Plus, the finder will have bragging rights over friends, family and neighbors for the next year. And that's something you can't put a price on!
AND THE WINNER IS...
Once the hunt begins, please contact Parks and Recreation at 952-563-8877 or parksrec@bloomingtonmn.gov with questions and/or WHEN YOU FIND THE MEDALLION. We don't want to miss out on giving you props for your accomplishment and letting others know that they can stop looking.
Meet last year's winners...
