Lakeville Loot Treasure Hunt — September 2022 (XLIX)

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INTRODUCTION

Village of Lakes—for goodness’ sakes!
It’s time to stop messing around;
We’re striking out to lay new stakes—
And bringing our tent to town!

So let us present, with your consent,
The Hunt for the Lakeville Loot:
Two-hundred bucks for this event—
And bonus prizes to boot!

As you claw for the big ah-ha,
Please follow our simple rules:
Don’t be a dummy, obey the law;
No climbing—nix the tools!

Be sure to hark to boundary marks;
Don’t dig up the ground—
Keep out of forbidden parks,
And declare your find when found!

You’ll be in a bind if left behind,
So hurry up and scoot—
For only those who seek may find
The lucky Lakeville Loot!

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CLUE #1

The hunt has begun, so come join the fun
And find our hidden treasure
By solving our riddles one by one
And searching lands of leisure!

One, two, three, four—in the great outdoors,
You’ll locate the mother lode;
Work before pleasure, finish your chores
To take the saintly high road.

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CLUE #2

To get the drop on this hunt’s crop,
Be certain not to dawdle;
Flip the lid and rise to the top
By cracking the cap off a bottle.

Our secret sector contains a vector;
From there, it’s northward bound—
Where the taste of victory’s sweet nectar
Awaits the winners when crowned!

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CLUE #3

With care and precision, a split decision
Could put your team in the game—
Hound the path with clear-sighted vision
To help you stay true in your aim.

Center your thoughts, connect the dots—
Continue your search undaunted;
Be careful hunting hiding spots—
Word has it the grounds are haunted.

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CLUE #4

As you explore, come nock on our door—
This one will be fun to scoop;
Search through the park on trails galore
To keep your team in the loop.

Don't know Jack? It’s no time to slack;
Hurry to make your stand!
Take a trip off the beaten track—
That is, if you’ve got the sand.

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CLUE #5

To pluck the plectrum, split the spectrum—
Colours that shine in the dark;
Through the prism, refract and reflect ‘em,
To find the faded mark.

All in all, just bricks in the wall—
However, cylindrically spun;
Time is money, so do not stall—
You’d better get on the run!

From brickwork blaze to pine tree maze
It’s roughly a third of a mile,
So hop on your horse and gallop a ways,
And soon you’ll be wearing a smile!

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CLUE #6

The path predominant isn’t so prominent;
You might be taken aback—
To find the benchmark monument,
Mind a memorial plaque.

Those we love don’t go away;
When their soul departs,
They walk beside us every day—
Forever in our hearts.

Over hill and dale, the farmland trail
Retraces the path of the phantom:
Our specter stalks at a miniature scale;
Witness the ghastly bantam!

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CLUE #7

All rise to locate the prize
By spotting a nearby post—
Beyond the maze, the marker lies;
Beware the Ritter Farm Ghost!

Counting the cards, measure in yards
By stepping off the math—
Standing watch, the evergreen guards
Look after a hidden path.

Duck through the limbs on needles and pins
And tread the trodden track—
Where forest ends and meadow begins,
Mount your final attack!

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CLUE #8

Survey the land for the upper hand—
Surrender or take the hit;
Don’t go bust, just make your stand:
Double down after the split!

From there, it’s a snap to find our cap
By moving from pine to pine;
Through the rough, discover a gap
Connecting three in a line.

Disappearing into the clearing,
A hundred yards north of the trail—
Move boldly forward, persevering
To find the holy grail!

Deep in the park, an ancient mark
Upon the forest floor
Has held the line amid the pine
Since 1854.

The Ritter Farm Ghost looks over the post—
A monumental duty;
A few steps south on the path endmost,
You’ll find the bottle cap booty.

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KEY PHRASES

The Intro (by Johannes) contains the phrases “lay new stakes,” and “hark to boundary marks,” and lists eight “simple rules.”
Clue #1 (by Jennifer & Johannes) contains the phrases “lands of leisure;” “One, two, three, four;” “Work before pleasure, finish your chores;” and “take the saintly high road.”
Clue #2 (by Jesse & Johannes) contains the phrases “get the drop on this hunt’s crop;” “Flip the lid;” “rise to the top;” “cracking the cap off a bottle;” “our secret sector contains a vector; / From there, it’s northward bound;” and “sweet nectar.”
Clue #3 (by Ken & Johannes) contains the phrases “a split decision / Could put your team in the game;” “Hound the path;” “stay true in your aim;” “Center your thoughts;” “connect the dots;” and “the grounds are haunted.”
Clue #4 (by Ed & Johannes) contains the phrases “come nock on our door,” “Search through the park on trails galore,” “keep your team in the loop,” “Don’t know Jack?,” “make your stand,” “Take a trip off the beaten track,” and “if you’ve got the sand.”
Clue #5 (by Jana & Johannes) contains the phrases “pluck the plectrum;” “split the spectrum;” “Colours that shine in the dark; / Through the prism, refract and reflect ‘em;” “find the faded mark;” “All in all, just bricks in the wall—However, cylindrically spun;” “Time is money, so do not stall—You’d better get on the run;” “From brickwork blaze to pine tree maze / It’s roughly a third of a mile;” and “hop on your horse and gallop a ways”
Clue #6 (by Steven & Johannes) contains the phrases “The path predominant isn’t so prominent / You might be taken aback;” “To find the benchmark monument, / Mind a memorial plaque;” “Those we love don’t go away… They walk beside us every day… Forever in our hearts;” and “Over hill and dale, the farmland trail / Retraces the path of the phantom: / Our specter stalks at a miniature scale; / Witness the ghastly bantam!”
Clue #7 (by Craig & Johannes) contains the phrases “All rise to locate the prize;” “a nearby post;” “Beyond the maze, the marker lies;” “Beware the Ritter Farm Ghost;” “Counting the cards;” “measure in yards / By stepping off the math;” “Standing watch, the evergreen guards / Look after a hidden path;” “Duck through the limbs on needles and pins;” “tread the trodden track;” and “Where forest ends and meadow begins”
Clue #8 (by Matt & Johannes) contains the phrases “Survey the land;” “the upper hand;” “Surrender or take the hit;” “Don’t go bust;” “make your stand;” “Double down after the split;” “From there, it’s a snap to find our cap / By moving from pine to pine: / Through the rough, discover a gap / Connecting three in a line;” “Disappearing into the clearing / A hundred yards north of the trail;” “Move boldly forward, persevering / To find the holy grail;” “Deep in the park, an ancient mark / Upon the forest floor / Has held the line amid the pine / Since 1854;” “The Ritter Farm Ghost looks over the post— / A monumental duty; / A few steps south on the path endmost, / You’ll find the bottle cap booty.”

The Loot was hidden at Ritter Farm Park, about a hundred yards north of trail marker number 21, in a small, black pouch. The “Bottle Cap” jewel was hidden in a mossy notch at the base of a tree near Dakota County geographic survey marker H231; the prize was watched over by a little, grey “ghost”—which hung from the branches of a nearby tree.

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