Fun Fest 2009 Treasure Trackers – Friday

I know most of you who are reading this probably already know where the medallion was found on Friday, but I still thought I’d wait until the end of this post to reveal the location in order to build suspense.  I wasn’t there, but I’m guessing Friday’s treasure hunt might have been one of the most epic of all time.

Clue #1:  Look for muddy water, take a leisurely drive, here flora and fauna really thrive.

This clue doesn’t seem to narrow down the location of the medallion very much.  Muddy water could refer to most any river, lake, pond, or creek.  Plants and animals (flora and fauna) thrive at most all bodies of water, except the Dead Sea.

Clue #2:  Sometimes treasure is hidden among trash, the most savvy hunter will get the cash.

I’ll be honest.  Even after finding out where the medallion was hidden, I still can’t figure out how this clue ties into the location.  I guess you could say I don’t have a clue!

Clue #3:  Look for the archway and lots of letters.  Flowing water makes this challenge even better.

When I saw this clue, I still couldn’t figure out where the medallion was.  After finding out where the medallion was hidden, I know realize this clue refers to a tunnel that contains graffiti and has water running through it…

Clue #4 (!):  Legend has it, this place is haunted, listen for the crying baby, but don’t be daunted!

A fourth clue?  This has never happened before!  It isn’t even mentioned in the official rules.  Well, let’s see if we can figure out what the clue means…

Great day in the morning!  They’ve hidden the medallion in Sensabaugh Tunnel!  There will be chaos!  Pandemonium!  A big moulage!  Sensabaugh Tunnel is only one lane wide!  If people try to rush in there from both ends, it will be insanity!  And there’s water running through it!  With all of the rain, there’s probably 3 feet of water in that tunnel!  And I haven’t even mentioned the ghosts yet!

Seriously, while Sensabaugh Tunnel is definitely an interesting and different place to hide the medallion, I don’t see how it could be safe to hide it there.  There’s nowhere to park that I know of, and with the last clue making it obvious where the medallion was hidden, you have to figure a ton of people were racing to get there.  If anyone was there, please post your experience in the comments.  I’d love to hear a first hand report!

Sometimes treasure is hidden among trash, the most savvy hunter will get the cash.

Fun Fest 2009 Treasure Trackers – Thursday

Today’s medallion was found by the flag pole at the Kingsport Regional Service Park, which I’m told is beside the soccer fields in Sullivan Gardens.  Once again, all three clues were given out before the medallion was found.  I like that.

Clue #1:  Near a field where Canada Geese nest, lies the medallion to end your quest.

I’m not very familiar with the area where the medallion was found, aside from having driven by it a couple of times.  I assume there are a lot of geese that hang out near the soccer fields.

Clue #2:  Round and round and round this way.  To the left, then right you’ll stay.

Since I’m not familiar with the industrial park where the medallion was found, I don’t know if this clue refers to the roads within the park or the roads that you take to get there.  However, I looked at a map of Kingsport, and I can’t figure out a way that this clue could possibly describe the route from downtown Kingsport to Sullivan Gardens.

Clue #3:  Star and stripes fly high here, look closely or you’ll miss it, the medallion is near.

There doesn’t seem to be anything more to this clue than revealing that the medallion was near a flag pole.  I’m guessing that the second clue would mean more to someone who is more familiar with the Kingsport Regional Service Park than I am.

These all seem to be good clues, they just didn’t have much meaning to me since I’m not familiar with the place where the medallion was hidden.

Remember, my blog isn’t the official source of clues for Treasure Trackers.  I just like to discuss the event and analyze the clues after the medallion is found each day.  You can get the clues as they are announced at www.treasuretrackers.net.

Fun Fest 2009 Treasure Trackers – Wednesday

On Wednesday, the medallion was found at shelter #39 at Eastman Cabins.  I’m surprised they hid it so close to place where it was hidden the day before.  For the first time this week, the medallion wasn’t found until all 3 clues had been given out.

Clue #1:  Follow the road to the left, then right.  The goal you seek will be in sight.

The road through Eastman Cabins is one-way, so you have to go to the left around the main loop and eventually back to the right when you get to the curve.  There is a soccer field at the back of Eastman Cabins, but I don’t know where shelter #39 is located, so I don’t know whether a soccer goal was being referred to in the clue.

Clue #2:  Around the curve and down the road.  You’re about to hit the mother load.

This clue added to the first one by making it clear that there is curve in the road near where the medallion was hidden.  It seems likely that the second line of the clue is referring to the creek that runs through Eastman Cabins.  According to Dictionary.com, the term “mother lode” refers to “something valuable or in great abundance”.  The California gold rush began when miners found gold and silver deposits in creek beds and they followed them upstream to find the source.

Clue #3: Eat, play or stay night and day. Bears might visit and have their way.

The first part of the clue refers to the things you can do at Eastman Cabins, and I can see how someone who is familiar with Eastman Cabins could put this clue together with the previous ones to figure where to look for the medallion.  A couple of years ago, there were signs posted at the beginning of the Eastman Cabins hiking trail warning that bears had been spotted, so it isn’t completely unheard of for bears to be in the area.

If there is anything hidden in the clues that refers specifically to the number 39 (the number of the cabin where the medallion was found), I didn’t spot it.

I’m giving the treasure hunt a definite thumbs up so far this year.  The clues have been good, and I like the fact that it took until the third clue was given out before the medallion was found on Wednesday.  Each clue alone wouldn’t do much to help anyone find the medallion, but when put together, they compliment each other well.  I especially like hidden meanings in clues, and for the first time this week, we had one with the “mother load” reference.

Remember, my blog isn’t the official source of clues for Treasure Trackers.  I just like to discuss the event and analyze the clues after the medallion is found each day.  You can get the clues as they are announced at www.treasuretrackers.net.

Fun Fest 2009 Treasure Trackers – Tuesday

Today the Treasure Trackers medallion was found at the Sullivan South Band’s Practice Field on the “Band Director’s Perch”.  Once again, the medallion was found after only one clue was given out.

Clue #1:  Practice makes perfect, so they say.  Fall will come soon and tunes to play.

Just like yesterday, this is a very straightforward clue.  High School marching bands play music in the fall during football season, and the first part of the clue makes it clear that the medallion was hidden at the place where the band practices. It was just a matter of who picked the correct school.

At this point, I have mixed feelings about how the treasure hunt is going this year.  The clues aren’t bad, because they narrow down where the medallion is hidden while at the same time possibly leading to several different locations.  However, unlike last year, the clues aren’t tricky enough to make you stop and think very long before figuring out what they mean.  For instance, the clues on the first day of last year’s treasure hunt had me trying to figure out what the Queen City was, researching mascots for local schools, and even surmising that the one of the clues was a reference to the TV show “Saved By The Bell”.  This year, the clues are more straightforward, and don’t require much analysis.  I guess you could say that the main requirement for finding the medallion so far this year is a knowledge of the area’s geography as opposed to a knowledge of trivia.  I wish the first clue was a little harder to figure out, because I like for the treasure hunt to go longer into the day instead of always being found first thing in the morning.

I’m anxious to see the clues for the rest of the week.  Be sure to stop by again tomorrow for a discussion of Wednesday’s Treasure Trackers!

Remember, my blog isn’t the official source of clues for Treasure Trackers.  I just like to discuss the event and analyze the clues after the medallion is found each day.  You can get the clues as they are announced at www.treasuretrackers.net.

Fun Fest 2009 Treasure Trackers – Monday

The first day of the treasure hunt has concluded, and the medallion was found beside the sign at the entrance to Bays Mountain Park.  Like I did last year here on my blog, I thought I’d analyze the clues each day after the medallion has been found and try to see if I can figure out how the clues lead to the medallion.

Sometimes they release all 3 clues even if the medallion is found after only one clue is given out, but they didn’t do that today, so we only have one clue to analyze.

Clue #1:  Go past this graveyard and keep on going.  Look for a creek where the water is flowing.

If you go past Meadowview Convention Center and on to Bays Mountain that way, you’ll pass a cemetery on the left.  You then cross a bridge over a creek when you make the right turn towards Bays Mountain Park.

I think this was a great clue to start the treasure hunt with.  It’s general enough that it could have led to several different places (anywhere that there is a creek near a graveyard), but at the same time, it’s specific enough that it’s easy to see why someone would go towards Bays Mountain looking for it.  While the clue seems to point to the creek itself, it’s not unreasonable that someone would go a few dozen yards further up the road to look near the Bays Mountain sign, since it’s a pretty significant landmark.

To whoever is running Treasure Trackers this year, good job on day one!

Remember, my blog isn’t the official source of clues for Treasure Trackers.  I just like to discuss the event and analyze the clues after the medallion is found each day.  You can get the clues as they are announced at www.treasuretrackers.net.

Fun Fest Treasure Trackers 2009

Last year, my series of posts about the Fun Fest Treasure Trackers event generated the most traffic my blog has received in a single week.  I’ve decided to bring the series back for another year.  Although it has had some ups and downs over the years, the Treasure Hunt has always been one of my favorite Fun Fest events.

What I’ll do is after the Treasure Hunt ends each day, I’ll do a post where I discuss and analyze that day’s clues.  Please don’t depend on my blog to get the clues when they are announced, because I won’t be posting them until the hunt is over each day.  You can get the clues as they are announced here:  http://www.treasuretrackers.net .

Everyone enjoy Treasure Trackers 2009!

Fun Fest Top 10 Events

With Kingsport’s Fun Fest starting tonight, I thought I’d do a list of my top 10 favorite Fun Fest events over the years.   Here goes!

10.  Crazy Boat Race: I think it’s been well over 10 years since the last Crazy Boat Race, but it was one of Fun Fest’s biggest events during the early years.  Teams would build all sorts of unusual boats, and race them down the river at Riverfront Park.  It was a lot of fun to watch.  I’m not sure why they stopped having the boat race, but I remember there were some years that they had to cancel it because there wasn’t enough water in the river due to drought conditions.  I’m guessing safety concerns were probably a factor also.  I think they continued the event for a while under the name Crazy Boat Show, but I guess nobody was interested in looking at the boats if they never actually went into the water.

9.  Block Parties: The neighborhood I used to live in had a huge block party  for several years, and I always enjoyed it.  The neighborhood where I live now had one this year, and it was great as well.

8.  Fun Fest Goes to the Races: Back when the Kingsport Speedway was operating, they would always have a special race during Fun Fest week that usually drew one of their biggest crowds of the year.  I miss our local speedway, and I wish someone would fix it up and start holding races there again.

7.  Fun Fest Slam: While our local professional wrestling scene is going strong with at least 3 different promotions regularly running shows in Kingsport, I don’t think there is a special wrestling event as part of Fun Fest any longer.  One of the matches that stands out in my mind from one of the Fun Fest shows several years ago was Skyfire (who was EZ Money in ECW and Jason Jett in WCW) vs. Eddie Golden.  At the time, Lucha Libre style wrestling had just started getting popular in the U.S., and Skyfire and Golden did pretty much every Lucha Libre and high-flying move I’d ever seen in my life in that one match.  I still rate it is as one the top 10 matches I’ve ever seen in person.  I also enjoyed seeing Kane at one of the Fun Fest wrestling shows.

6.  Fun Fest Parade: I haven’t been to all of the Fun Fest parades over the years, but I try to make it to as many as I can.  I’ve always enjoyed watching parades, and in many ways, the Fun Fest parade seems to have gotten bigger than Kingsport’s Fourth of July parade.

5.  Crazy 8s: I’m not athlectic, and I don’t run in the 8k road race.  However, I love watching it.

4.  Taste of Tri-Cities: The Taste of Tri-Cities has changed over the years, but I’ve always enjoyed it.   In the early days of Fun Fest, The Taste was kind of an event to itself, while in recent years it’s become more of a support event to the concerts and other events going on near D.B., since all of the attendees need somewhere to eat.  The event was originally conceived to give visitors a chance to sample foods from several area restaurants, and it was priced accordingly.  The servings were small, and the price was rarely over $1 for any individual item.  That way, you could sample food from several different places without spending too much or getting stuffed.  Nowadays, the prices are basically the same that you would spend at the restaurant itself, and most vendors serve full meals.

3.  Balloon Race: I’ve always enjoyed watching hot air balloons, but the Fun Fest Balloon Rally used to be a competition.  A lead balloon would take off 20 minutes before the others, and the other balloons would chase it.  At some point, the lead balloon would land and place a target on the gound.  The pilots of the other balloons had to toss a beanbag towards the target, and whoever came closest was the winner.  I still enjoy the balloon rally, but it was more exciting when it was a race.

2.  Fun Fest Fireworks: In my opinion, the Fun Fest fireworks have always been better than Kingsport’s Fourth of July fireworks.

1.  AFG Treasure Hunt: I took part in the treasure hunt for many years when AFG was in charge of it.  I’ve even been known to take a week of vacation during Fun Fest just so I could participate in the daily treasure hunts.  I love Pal’s, but when they took over the treasure hunt a few years ago, it wasn’t as good.  The clues and hiding places just weren’t as good as AFG’s.  Another new batch of sponsors took over the event last year, and while it still wasn’t as good as the AFG Treasure Hunts, it was best one of the past few years.  I hope they can return my favorite Fun Fest event to its former glory.

Fun Fest Treasure Hunt 2008 – Closing Thoughts

I’d give the 2008 Fun Fest Treasure Hunt a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10.  The concerns I expressed in my Thursday post were dispelled when I learned that people were indeed figuring out the clues and enjoying themselves.  I actually thought the clues were pretty good all week.

In the opinion of an observer who follows the Treasure Hunt online and in the newspaper but who doesn’t actually participate any longer, this was the best Treasure Hunt since AFG stopped running it 2 or 3 years ago.  I love Pal’s, but I did not think they did a good a job of running the Treasure Hunt the past couple of years, mainly because their clues were terrible.  The organizers and sponsors of this year’s Treasure Hunt did a much better job and began the process of restoring the Treasure Hunt to its former glory.

That being said, I still feel there are a couple of areas where the Treasure Hunt could be improved.  As I mentioned yesterday, I feel that the organizers should take some steps to make sure the medallion isn’t found early in the morning quite so often.  One way to do this would be to make the first clue a little more vague and open to various interpretations.  Another way would be to hide the medallion a little better so that even after everyone has figured out the general location where it is hidden, it still takes some serious hunting to actually find it.  I always found the Treasure Hunts that last all day to be the most fun.

Another area that needs to be improved is the way in which the clues are given out.  I thought about discussing all of the various problems with the distribution of the clues that have plagued the Treasure Hunt over the years, but I decided to focus on the biggest problem that exists today – the online distribution of the clues.

Ever since the Treasure Hunt began having a website a few years ago, the website has been one of the official places to obtain the clue.  This could be a good thing, but there have been some problems. I think more than one web design and hosting firm have been responsible for the website, but the same problems have always existed.  I’m not sure if the problems lie with the people who are responsible for updating the site, or with the Treasure Hunt officials for not getting the information to the webmasters in a timely fashion.

The first problem with the Treasure Hunt website is that the clue usually isn’t posted on the website until anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes after it has been given out on the radio.    Even worse, sometimes they’ll skip a clue and not post it on the Internet at all.  That problem continues today, as the third clue wasn’t posted on the website today until after the medallion had already been found.

Another problem is that there have been times over the years where the announcement that the medallion had been found wasn’t posted for up to 3 hours after the fact.  This led to a lot of people (myself included) wasting time looking for a medallion that had already been found.

I hope that they will do a better job with the website in future years.  It should be a reliable place to obtain clues and other information.  It would only take a minimal amount of time and effort to make this happen.

Fun Fest Treasure Hunt 2008 – Friday

Friday’s medallion was found “under a bridge on the Greenbelt”, according to the Treasure Hunt website.  It doesn’t specify which bridge it was found under or the area of the Greenbelt where the bridge is located.  For the first (and only) time this week, all three clues were given out before the medallion was found around 4 PM.

Clue #1:  If caught by a mortal you will be, promised great wealth and allowed to go free

I can vaguely remember legends or fairytales involving trolls that hide under bridges and demand a toll from anyone who wishes to cross the bridge, so I assume that it what this clue refers to.  However, the way it is worded, it sounds like it is saying that if a mortal human being catches the troll, then the human will promise the troll great wealth and let it go.  I’m not sure if this clue is worded poorly, or if my memory of the “troll under the bridge” legend is inaccurate.

Clue #2:  Critters and creatures congregate here, look hard enough and the medallion is near

About the only meaning that I can get out of this clue is that is it referring to the various birds, squirrels, and other wildlife that are found along the Greenbelt.  If I knew exactly where the medallion was found, I might be able to determine whether there was a deeper meaning in this clue that would have helped narrow down which section of the Greenbelt the medallion was hidden on.

Clue #3:  Tunnel vision will help your mission

I wasn’t personally aware of any tunnels on the Greenbelt, but one my friends said there is a large covered bridge on the Greenbelt in the area near Cloud Park and Creekside Cafe, and he thinks that might be where the medallion was found.

To my knowledge, the 2008 Treasure Hunt is over, except for the grand prize drawing Saturday night where one of the finalists will win $5,000.

Fun Fest 2008 Treasure Hunt – Thursday

Well, I have to say that I’m rather disappointed with the 2008 Treasure Hunt at this point.

For one thing, the medallion is being found way too early each day.  6:45 AM is too early to give out the first clue anyway, and every medallion has been found by 9 AM this week.  When I was able to go out and look for the medallion on a regular basis a few years ago, we enjoyed trying to figure out the clues and going different places throughout the day looking for the medallion.  It was a very social event that a lot of people looked forward to.   While the medallion was usually found early a day or two each year, there were always some days where the hunt went on for several hours.  I think the sponsors that have been in charge of the Treasure Hunt since long-time sponsor AFG stopped running it a few years ago have forgotten many of the things that made it special.  I’m not sure if the clues are too easy or if the medallion isn’t being hidden well enough, but the medallion shouldn’t be found so early every day.

Another thing about the Treasure Hunts from a few years ago is that the organizers would hide the medallion REALLY well.  It wasn’t uncommon for masses of people to know what location the medallion was hidden at, but still be unable to find it for a few hours.  That’s where the social aspect of the Treasure Hunt came in.  People enjoyed socializing while looking for the medallion.  For example, around 10-12 years ago, there was a Treasure Hunt that basically turned into an impromptu community picnic at Borden Park.  Everyone was convinced the medallion was there, but it was hidden so well that it wasn’t found until the afternoon.  In the meantime, everyone enjoyed hanging out in the park together.  It was a fun day.

Something that bothered me about today’s hunt in particular is that I see absolutely no possible way that anyone could have found the medallion based on the first clue.  My personal belief is that someone who wasn’t even participating in the Treasure Hunt stumbled across it.  According to the Treasure Hunt web site, the medallion was found in the “wheels” paper box at the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce.  The Kingsport Times-News publishes a publication called “Wheels” that contains listings of automobiles for sale, and I assume that is what they were referring to.  Here’s the problem with hiding the medallion in such a location – if anyone comes along and opens the box to get a paper, aren’t they going to see the medallion in there?  I’m guessing that is probably what happened.

Below is my analysis of today’s clues.  Remember that the medallion was found after only the first clue had been given out.

Clue #1:  Hang a left or a right at this traffic light.

OK, so this clue refers to a traffic light.  However, you can turn left or right at almost every traffic light, so the clue doesn’t really narrow down which traffic light the medallion was hidden near.  One of my friends pointed out that when you are coming down Broad Street towards the train station, you can only turn left or right at the traffic light at the intersection of Main and Broad.  However, that isn’t technically true.  While it isn’t a through street, you can still go straight through the light into a parking lot.

The traffic light in question is in front of the train station (which I think houses a bank), while the Chamber of Commerce is in the building to the left of the train station.  Even if someone figured out which traffic light the clue was referring to (which I think is a stretch), there is nothing in the clue that would lead anyone to think they should go to a building down the street from the light and look in a paper box for the medallion.  That’s why I think the person who found it was fortunate enough to stumble across a medallion worth $100 when they opened the box to get their paper.  I would be very surprised if the person who found it was even looking for it.  If anyone has any first-hand information to the contrary, please let me know.

Clue #2:  Need new wheels?  We’ve got deals

This is actually a good second clue.  It applies to where the medallion was found, but it also would have thrown people off the trail.  If I had heard this clue, I would have started looking near car lots.  It’s good to have clues that provide a little bit of misdirection.  That’s part of what makes the Treasure Hunt fun.  Unfortunately, the medallion was found before this clue was given out.

Clue #3:  Find me in a box near a clock

The clock tower in the train station is probably the most well-known clock in Kingsport, so I can see how this clue would lead people there.  Once they figured out which clock was being referred to, they’d also realize which traffic light was being referred to in the first clue.  I thought it was a little odd that the clue pointed to a building beside the one where the medallion was actually hidden, but I guess it was close enough to be considered “near”.

In closing, I think today’s set of clues was the best set of the week so far.  It’s unfortunate that the hunt was derailed by what I believe to be a poor job of hiding the medallion.  I believe it was in a place where it was likely that someone who wasn’t even looking for it would have run across it – and I assume that is what happened.

Update (7/18): Based on an article in today’s Kingsport Times-News, it appears that I was mistaken in my assumptions that nobody figured out yesterday’s clue and that someone who wasn’t looking for it just stumbled across the medallion.  The article detailed how one group figured out where to go look, and also mentioned that there were a lot of people there looking for it.  It also confirmed that the lady who found it was indeed looking for it.