Pekin Marigold Festival Medallion Hunt Sponsored by Jimmy John's ®

This year's chosen location had been on my short list for a few years.  When I went out to research it more closely I knew exactly what references I had to work with.  It is one of those "hide in plain sight" spots that is so noticeable on the periphery but unknown regarding specifics.  Walking up and looking at the gated west side I knew immediately I could have some fun with it.  From signs, to generators, and a fence with barbed wire at the top, there were possible references galore. A cell tower is impossible to hide, but here, many of the clues lied at it's base.  With the bushes that surround it fully hiding and enclosing the area, there was no doubt that it was time for "game on". Here are your explanations: Clue #1 It is no secret that in the past I have used numbers and letters, and sometimes a certain number of letters in total or a particular sequence.  For example, one year, when the medallion was hidden at the dog training area, I wrote...

Congratulations to Christie Gray who found the 2016 Pepsi Marigold Medallion late Saturday morning.  She found it in bushes near near the cell tower located in Mineral Springs Park.  This is off stadium drive, north of diamond six, and near the 4-H buildings.  Christie is an avid hunter who also found the medallion in 2011!

Clue Number 6 Time to fuel your efforts, Feeding your hunt capacity. In some ways I'm dying to get this over with. It's all the same to me. I saw the color of cowards, Spotted in more than one place. Will you quickly pick up on these references? Or be strung along in this race?

For all of the hunters who are planning ahead... Clue #6 will be released at 6:30 am on Saturday morning and Clue #7 will be released at 6:30am on Monday morning.  (No clue on Sunday.) Good luck!

Clue Number 5 Life is really about family and friends, And all the people we reach. It is also about lessons and learning, The endless wisdom we all should teach. There are things that don't seem to belong; Not where you'd expect them to be. But they've earned the right to be there. In life, nothing is ever free.

Clue Number 4 Perhaps you've heard it all before, About how this effort is so tough, Now everyone's discussing it, Easy disguises may not be enough. Remember your eyes can play tricks on you. You'll discover by hook or by crook. Seek doors so few can open. It's a link to where one should look.

Clue Number 3 There's no power in driving you batty, Or sending you underground. Go register your complaint, Filed where something common abounds. So shake your head in acknowledgement. This exercise exacts a price. My meanings could really run broad and deep, And the climb is certainly not nice.

Clue Number 2 MapQuest is a great service. With maps and a satellite view. Pretty much everything is there. The often unseen can be revealed to you. Interesting things I sometimes come across, Are coincidences and irony. A rule before all you hunters, Look, but think, and you might see.

Clue Number 1 Here it is, can you believe, Your coveted time has arrived? I can often seem didactic, As I separate the real from the contrived. I will cast out your share of numbers; Words and letters too. I can't bring you into my confidence yet. But my boundaries might yield a clue.

Disclaimer: The Pepsi-Marigold Medallion WILL be found on PUBLIC property--either within or contiguous to city boundaries, or property owned by a Pekin public body. It is NOT hidden on any golf course, inside the stadium area, inside Dragonland, inside any school facility, around the Sun Dial, or in close proximity to the Pekin Archery Range or the UAW Highrise.  The Medallion is NOT hidden within a recessed light fixture at the Pekin Public Library or in close proximity to the Pekin Federal Prison's fenced perimeter. Hunters do not need to dig up or climb up to find the Medallion. It may be carefully camouflaged or hidden within something easily accessible and not requiring disassembly. The chosen hiding place is always selected with safety and accessibility given the highest consideration. Finally, be on the watch for Poison Ivy and Poison Oak, and PLEASE, be respectful of others' property as well as your fellow hunters. For the latest clue or updates, visit   http://me...