The first two clues in the annual Pekin Marigold Festival Marigold Medallion Hunt have been released. The finder of the medallion will win $1,500, courtesy of Jimmy John's.
Clues will be released by longtime clue master Gary Gillis at noon each day through Friday and at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. If the medallion hasn't been found by then, another clue will be released at 6:30 a.m. next Monday [Labor Day].
The medallion is always hidden on public property within or contiguous to Pekin city boundaries. Hunters do not need to dig or climb to find the medallion. The hiding place is chosen with safety and accessibility given the highest consideration, Gillis said.
This year's medallion was designed and created by Pekin Community High School student Dana Snyder.
See the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce website at pekinchamber.com for complete rules for the hunt and historical information. The hunt has taken place every year since 1978.
Here are Gillis' first two clues for the 2024 hunt:
346-HUNT was a a great tradition.
A old phone number now long-fabled.
Business changes and technical glitches led to the number being permanently disabled.
But these days we live our lives online, so change is change, we’ll all be fine.
So on with the hunt.
Clue No. 1
We’re off to the races again my friends.
So many out looking for the elusive disc.
Will this be a long laborious process,
Or one where hunters make the effort brisk?
I’ll introduce multiple references
Some plain and one you cannot see.
Sagacity and dogged determination.
For those at home it will simply be.
Clue No. 2
Remember the rules and disclaimers.
Sometimes I have to say them again and again.
I know I’ll likely string you along.
Sights and sounds in these clues I’ll extend.
We’ll consider our share of history,
Where I take you quite a ways back.
Our bicentennial gives you a lot to study.
I’ll take the fifth and wonder how you’ll react.
