Inver Grove Trove Treasure Hunt — September 2024 (LXV)

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INTRODUCTION

Summer's over, indeed fall begins;
We're up to old tricks in the Grove—
In the great outdoors, on changing winds,
Tack into the tale of the Trove!

Search within and soon you'll see,
Nick and Herb give sweet surprises;
The finder's locker will certainly be
Chock full of wonderful prizes!

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CLUE #1

To the fabulous folks of Inver Grove,
The time has returned to sneak—
Pursue our path to a spacious cove
For the big game of hide-and-seek!

Piecing the puzzle, unravel the plot,
Just as we planned and designed it;
We've found the perfect hiding spot,
Now it's up to you to come find it!

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CLUE #2

To seek our treasure, let the story unfold;
Search the wood, among leaves and sticks.
Traversing the trails, both young and old,
Use your noodle—and watch out for tricks!

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CLUE #3

As you haunt for the hidden hoard,
To track down the trail where it lies—
Be careful not to lose your gourd
While carving your way to the prize!

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CLUE #4

No time to snooze, get back to class
And gallop ahead on the trail;
The course might seem like an easy pass,
But get caught napping—and fail!

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CLUE #5

Don't be a nimrod, just tail Ichabod
On the trails near Sleepy Hollow;
Keep your head and watch where you tread,
With many a pumpkin to follow!

From park to beyond, between the ponds—
The Midnight Idol leads to the Trove;
To make the take for the green at stake,
Comb through the creekside cove!

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CLUE EXPLANATIONS

The introduction contains the words "indeed," "tricks," "Nick," "Herb," and "locker" and is intended to suggest Washington Irving's character (and "well known Dutch historian") Diedrich Knickberbocker—who in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is responsible for uncovering the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. This is in turn intended to suggest Sleepy Hollow Park, and its network of trails to the west—where the MacGuffin was hidden. The phrase "up to old tricks" is meant to suggest searching in an area just down the trail from two past Inver Grove Heights Days hiding spots at Sleepy Hollow Park.
Forty small, foam jack-o'-lantern stress balls (numbered 1-40) were hidden along the trails to the west of Sleepy Hollow; they led from every nearby trail entrance—placed at roughly 100-foot intervals—to the MacGuffin, which was hidden near the center of the network of trails.
The first clue contains the word "path," in reference to the MacGuffin's hiding spot along a small path to the north of a pond and along a small brook, to the south of College Trail, and its position along a trail to the west of Sleepy Hollow Park; the word "path" also suggests the many "Trail"- and "Path"-named roads in the area surrounding the hiding spot. The phrase "spacious cove" is a reference to the opening line of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: "In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent the eastern shore of the Hudson […];" the phrase "Piecing the puzzle, unravel the plot" is meant to reinforce the Sleepy Hollow theme.
In the second clue, the phrase "let the story unfold"—along with the words "noodle" and "tricks"—is evocative of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The clue also describes the hiding spot, in "the wood, among leaves and sticks," on "the trails" west of Sleepy Hollow Park.
In the third clue, the phrase "lose your gourd"—along with the words "haunt" and "carving"—is meant to suggest the continuing Sleepy Hollow theme, while the phrases "track down the trail where it lies" and "carving your way to the prize" are meant to suggest the puck is hidden not in Sleepy Hollow Park proper, but along an adjoining trail.
The fourth clue reinforces the Sleepy Hollow theme and directs hunters south of College Trail to a small, worn foot path off the main, paved route. The tunnel beneath College Trail contained a nifty Easter Egg: one of Chris Nichols' "Nature Neighbors" mural characters has unfortunately "lost their gourd" thanks to vandalism, and has been painted over—from the neck up.
The fifth clue references (and names) Sleepy Hollow and instructs hunters to search "beyond the park" "on the trails;” it references the jack-o-lantern trail confirm and suggests Wayne Newton—whose first name is "Carson”—points to the hiding spot (i.e. Carson Court); and finally pinpoints its "creekside" "between the ponds," at the base of two birch trees across the path from a "green" manhole marker "stake."

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