1
Welcome to Medallion Hunt ‘22
Another springtime beckons you.
Last year it was in a Marion place
Now it’s snug in a CR space.
Better check your latest city map, friend
This city’s not a circle from end-to-end

2
Man-made structures do surround it
Some play a role in this game you’ll see.
But until Clue 10 when we tell you all,
Each day’s hints are what you’ll need.

3
Your prize is on a kind of wand
It’s a “lollipop” we’d say.
Pull it from a stack of options
And man, you’ll have a day!

4
Higher or lower, one is right
It’s fun nearby, more day than night.
When we were there, dogs did bark
Not everything public is a park.

5
Several of something, all different we’d say
Are linked together in an important way.
We don’t know why they’re like they are
Figure it out and you won’t need a car.

6
Two one-of-a-kinds are close at hand,
One above and one below
The City of Seasons Five is a better place
With both of these in our fold.

7
We think that we will never see
A spot so perfect as a tree
To be a landmark of a kind
As you seek your precious find.
But since the derecho did a number
On the city’s public lumber
We’ll share this big boy didn’t split
It stands today despite getting hit.

8
Balls bounce, balls fly
“When” is as important as knowing “why.”
The same is true for water’s ways
From seasonal to every day.
Also now nearby there’s great fun to do
Some is old and some is new.
Thanks to so much history
We hope you’ll solve this mystery.

9
A Hall-of-Famer has a role
But not the way you might know.
Great is great in many ways
Not only for sports, or their plays.
Sometimes doing right is best
Heroes are born who pass this test.
Figure out this person’s name
And respect their story as you play this game

10
So here they are, the defining clues
These should now be all you use.
Dogs did bark from the public street
As we hid the disc with fleeting feet.
We almost “hid her” in that very park
But chose its neighbor on a lark.
Named for an amazing lady of fame,
A park and school both share her name.
Up the hill is Bender Pool
Next door is our own Metro School
In all, six rec department spots together
The cottonwood in this one survived all weather.
The largest first baseman in our city fair
At the base in a crevice, something’s there.
Several sticks lay in its maw
One is the prize that wins it all.

FROM THE WRITER/HIDER:
“Congratulations to the winner for figuring out this year’s medallion hunt. Viola Gibson was inspirational in many ways, and it was a privilege to guide people to the small park in her honor in the heart of Cedar Rapids.

Clue 10 always brings together the past nine and basically tells one where it is. The “not everything public is a park” reference with dogs was inspired by several dog walkers coming by on the street as we searched for the right spot. This cluster of CR Rec facilities including the only City-run indoor pool and the aptly named “Hidder Park” were helpful.

The fact that this cottonwood survived the derecho so well is amazing, not to mention the way it kind of plays first base in one of the oddest ball field configurations ever (when and why ballgames are played there and next door on the basketball courts was a mention).

Next year we promise fun and maybe even haiku.”