Out To The Ballgame Mini-Hunt — June 2015 (III)

TCTreasure

PRE-GAME

Wake up hunters! Rise and shine! Come on, now, let's snap to it!
There's TC Treasure to be found, so get out there and do it!

The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, the pop of the catcher's mitt:
Baseball's back in Lowertown; the Saints' new home's a hit!

With clues at nine, noon, three, and six, this mini-hunt will yield
A pair of tickets to tonight's game at CHS Field.

TCTreasure

TOP OF THE FIRST

It's a beautiful day for a ballgame, and for hunting TC Treasure.
A little bird told me "Fun is Good," so have some, at your leisure!

Search public places in the region of Downtown Saint Paul,
But leave the digging tools at home; you won't need them at all:

The treasure's waiting in plain sight, for anyone to scout,
But be forewarned; this hunt's designed to turn you inside-out.

TCTreasure

BOTTOM OF THE THIRD

Drops in droves descended—three days at the home of brown:
Joe and James and Joan and Jan and Jerry came to town;

A haven of summer and winter at once, of waters sweet and clear;
Mountain stone in a country field of blood, and sweat, and tear;

The band of young who slyly flew the third first family's plane;
One decade on, incredibly, still grateful, yet remain.

TCTreasure

TOP OF THE SIXTH

You've learned to tell the difference between wig and follicle,
And seen some rugs so bad they're nearly diabolical.

You've gotten great at noticing when someone sports a weave,
And quite adept at spotting pieces others can't perceive.

You've come to know which hair is false, and which of it is true:
Ah yes, that's right, you know your wigs; no toupee dingbat, you.

TCTreasure

BOTTOM OF THE NINTH

Go forth and find the shooter; you're not too big to fail.
Call the governor; the Dogg is off death row and out of jail.

So to the site now head with haste, and through the columns doric;
Quickly through the concourse and then down the stair historic.

Through the doors, burst out onto the platform with a hoot;
Swiftly scan the space from end to end, then spot the loot.

A little feathered buddy hands the tickets over, grinning;
Now turn and scamper off with time to spare for the first inning!

TCTreasure

EXTRA INNINGS

Emergency! The tickets are still yet to have been claimed;
The ballgame starts in five minutes, so here is all explained:

All aboard to Woodstock: Union Depot, Gate B—
Inside, then out—right on the platform, hangin' with Snoopy!

Grab the tickets from your friends, then quickly to your seats;
Enjoy the game, relax a while, and revel in your feats!

TCTreasure

POST-GAME

Congratulations to the hunters who emerged victorious:
Our winners were the ones they call Clue Master and Diggorius.

My instinct tells me we'll see those names cropping up a lot;
On our next hunt perhaps they'll double up and find the spot.

Next mini-hunt, that is, of course, we're not quite finished yet.
Our next one's on July the 12th, and on that you can bet!

Gentlemen and ladies, won't you step up to the plate?
Our Bon Appétit Mini-Hunt should be well worth the wait.

TCTreasure

CLUE EXPLANATIONS

PRE-GAME

"snap," "crack," and "pop" are meant to suggest Rice Krispies cereal—a Kellogg brand. The treasure was hidden on the platform of Gate B near the Historic Stair at the Saint Paul Union Depot. The Union Depot straddles Kellogg Boulevard.
The word "Lowertown" is meant to suggest searching the Lowertown area of Saint Paul.

TOP OF THE FIRST

"A little bird" is meant to suggest the Peanuts character Woodstock—who, perched atop the "Dog in Training" Snoopy statue on the platform at Gate B of the Union Depot, was the bearer of the Mini-Hunt prize.
"waiting" could be taken to suggest the Union Depot's waiting room.
"scout" could be taken to suggest Snoopy's "Beagle Scouts"—a recurring theme from Peanuts.
"forewarned" is meant to suggest Fourth Street, which borders the Union Depot to the north, and Warner Road, to the south.
"inside-out" is meant to suggest that finding the treasure may require going indoors and then out.
"inside-out" could also be taken to suggest the "Inside Out" artist community—which operates in Lowertown—and their People's Art Project, which is currently on public display throughout the Lowertown area.

BOTTOM OF THE THIRD

This clue is meant to suggest the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art festival—"the home of brown" acid, infamously—where "Drops in droves descended" for "three days" of peace and music, and name drops about two dozen Woodstock artists, including "Joe" Cocker; "James" 'Jimi' Hendrix; "Joan" Baez; "Jan"is Joplin; "Jerry" Garcia (of The Grateful Dead); Richie "haven"s; Bert "summer" (Sommer); Johnny and Edgar "winter;" "sweet""water;" Creedence "clear""water" Revival; "Mountain;" "sly(ly)" and the "family" "stone;" "country" Joe and the Fish; Butter"field" Blues Band; "blood," "sweat," and "tears;" "The band;" Crosby, "stills," Nash, and "young;" The "who;" Jefferson Airplane ("third first family's plane"); Ten Years After ("One decade on"); The "incredibl(y)"e String Band; and The "grateful" Dead ("remain"s).

TOP OF THE SIXTH

"no toupee dingbat" anagrams to "union depot gate b."

BOTTOM OF THE NINTH

"Go forth" is meant to suggest Fourth Street.
"find the shooter" is meant to suggest Wacouta Street ("Wacouta" means "the shooter").
"too big to fail" is meant to suggest Wall Street, which intersects Kellogg at the Union Depot.
"Call the governor" is meant to suggest Sibley Street, named for Minnesota's first governor, Henry Sibley.
"the Dogg is off death row" is meant to suggest Snoop Dogg (and Death Row Records) — or Snoopy.
"columns doric," "concourse," "stair historic," and "platform" are all meant to suggest Union Depot, and pinpoint the prize's hiding place.
"A little feathered buddy" is meant to, again, suggest the Peanuts character Woodstock.

LONGSHOT

Before the Mini-Hunt began—and throughout the hunt itself—the words "STILL," "SING," "SPED," "SLOW," "SWING," "SPY," and "SHOT" appeared in faint lettering, in reverse, at the bottom of the TC Treasure homepage. By re-spelling the words—"BESTILL," "STAGING," "STOPPED," "SLOWED," "SNOWING," "SPINY," and "SHOUT"—and reversing the new letters, you get the exact location of the prize: "UNION DEPOT GATE B."