MrMnMikey's Very First Mock Hunt

Posted On: Apr 05, 2008

Kickoff Party
Obb's Sports Bar and Grill
Friday, May 9, 2008
7pm until whenever
1347 Burns Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55106

My hunt will kick off on friday, May 9th at Obbs Bar at Mounds Park 7pm - 10 or so. The 1st clue will be realeased at 9pm. All other clues will be realeased at 8am daily until found.

I am asking for $5 registrations to go towards the total pot and I will kick in an extra $25. If the finder is not registered they will only receive 1/2 the pot. Any leftover money will be given to the winner of the next hunt that takes place. You can send me a paypal to mrmnmikey yahoo com if you'd like or give me the money in person (preferred way) at Obbs bar on the 9th or anytime BEFORE the realease of the 5th clue on tuesday morning. Regular mail is an option also. Contact me if you need my address.

I'm hoping to have at least 10 people in this for a pot of at least $75. (Hopefully more)

This is the first hunt I have done.

AW's 9th Annual Mock Hunt

Posted On: Feb 28, 2008

Kickoff Party
Fabulous Fern's
Saturday, March 1, 2008
In the bar area
400 Selby Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55102
(651) 225-9414

Well since you mentioned it, let me give the details on what will be the 9th annual (and original!) Mock Hunt (so named because it came between the Medallion Hunt and the Fitgers Bock Hunt, Medallion + Bock = Mock).

This year's Mock Hunt will start on Saturday, March 1st. Clues will come out daily at 6pm on the Allison Wonderland Yahoo group (and will likely be crossposted elsewhere). The rules are largely similar to the Pioneer Press Medallion Hunt with a few differences:

1. The treasure is definitely hidden in St. Paul.
2. The clues are released at 6pm.
3. You do not need to clip the clues or buy a button. However you do have the option to be a registered hunter. Registration is $10 and the money all goes towards the prize pool. If you are registered and you find it, you get all the money. You may also hunt if you are not registered, but you will only win $100 and any extra money in the prize pool will go towards the next mock hunt.
4. The hunt ends when it is found, however long that may take.

There will be a kickoff party at Fabulous Fern's from 5-8pm on Saturday the 1st in the bar area. You can register at that time. You can also register by Paypal or by check up until the time of the 4th clue. Send me a message if you wish to do so.

I anticipate good participation this year so face the challenge of going up against other hunters and see if you can be the one to claim the prize this year!

11th Annual Cooler Crew Rehash Bash!

Posted On: Jan 28, 2008

Location: Mason Lodge (Thanks again for this one, AW!)
1044 Front Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55103
Sunday, February 3, 2008
12pm until the last Coolerhead clears out
Map to the location

1998 Rehash Bash Hollywood and Green chilling at the inaugural bash

1998 Rehash Bash Under the canopy at Chair-O-Key.

1998 Finders Steve Doyle and Maureen Hursey

Inaugural Cooler Crew button This image became the design for the first, and very hard to find, Cooler Crew Commemorative Button. Greg Sax designed it, and managed to get it available at the first Rehash Bash, all while he was living in Milwaukee and unable to attend the bash. His friends brought the buttons out to the park.

One decade ago, give or take about 5 days, on a cold day in February a few medallion hunters met out at Cherokee Park for the first time. Their hunt was over for the year, yet something didn't feel quite right about the situation. A lot of virtual friendships were made in what was then known as the Water Cooler on the Pioneer Press web site. Ten years ago, the Cooler Crew was born.

This year, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of that event, the very first Cooler Crew Rehash Bash. Come share your thoughts, frustrations, and noodles; commiserate with the other hunters who are sad to see the event come to an end for another year.

As with every Rehash Bash, this is a potluck affair. Bring a dish to share and something to drink (not an adult-type beverage, since the lodge prohibits alcohol), and prepare to have a good time.

Come celebrate 10 years with us! Everyone is welcome!

Even Hunter Fred.

YOU'RE INVITED!!!!

Posted On: Jan 07, 2008

What: 2008 Pre-Dig Gig

Where: Matty B's - Downtown St. Paul, the Official Home of the Cooler Crew
354 North Wabasha Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
(651)291-0404

When: Saturday, January 19th, 2008 7pm till Close

Why: To Celebrate the Start of the St Paul Winter Carnival Treasure Hunt (and to celebrate a decade of the Cooler Crew)

Who: The Cooler Crew - Past, Present and Future - Everyone Welcome

Note the change of venue from McGovern's to Matty B's.

2007 Night Out at Matty B's: The crew gets together for a picture outside MattyB's on January 26, 2007 when the restaurant's namesake drops by.

2007 Predig-Gig: The crew gets together at McGoverns on January 20, 2007 for the 9th Annual Predig-Gig.

The 10th annual Pre-Dig gig will be held this year at Matty B's Supper Club, which is right around the corner from Ma Press. Join us at the official home of the Cooler Crew, from start to finish to kick off this year's medallion hunt. Rumor has it there will also be NTFCF DVD's available for sale.

RIP Santa Dave

Posted On: May 15, 2007

Santa Dave at the first annual Cooler Crew predig.

"Santa" Dave Young passed away last night in the presence of many of his Cooler Crew Friends

Terry eulogized him quite nicely, so I'm taking the liberty of stealing what she wrote for the site:

Being as sleep is alluding me, I thought I could share some information and memories of our friend Dave Young over the past 10 years.

He was raised on a farm near Brewster, MN. We know he has a sister still living in that area along with aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. He still owned farm land that he rented out. He spent most holidays with a niece back in Brewster and always bragged about her cooking.

He was married once. He never had children.

He was a ham radio operator and a licensed pilot. He loved the State fair, the medallion hunt, micro napping, working on computers, and any gathering that involved a good dinner and people he liked being with.

If you went anywhere with him, it wasn't long and he'd run into someone he knew. He had a very long list of friends.

Almost without fail, when you said goodbye at the end of a time together or on the phone, his last words were "have fun!". That was his philosophy and there wasn't much of anything he wouldn't try if it sounded like fun.

Every Christmas season, he would dress up as a traditional Santa and would hire out for parties - either private family gatherings or organizations. One time when his "jalopy" wasn't running, we picked Santa up and drove him out to Eden Prairie for a party and brought him back home afterwards. We stopped at a McDonald's or Burger King near his home. All he had left of his Santa suit was the red pants.

Two young African-American boys came up to him wanting to talk to Santa. He very graciously did so. I know those young boys will always believe.

But that wasn't the only time we witnessed Santa in action...

One year at the State Fair, we were walking around with Dave and a mother with a little girl came up to him. The mother said her little girl wanted to talk to Santa. He, of course, talked to that little girl and was so very much Santa. Not only will that little girl believe for the rest of her life, but that mother will too.

One of the first times we went to do Fitger's Bock Hunt in Duluth, there was a group of us that were going to drive up... Allison, Inks, me and Eags was to pick up DDY and then we would head up to Duluth early on a Saturday morning.

Eags had been to his place, knocked on the door, didn't get a response, had looked in his car and after another round of attempts came and met up with the rest of us. We decided to go back and try one last time before leaving. After banging on his door and looking into his car, we were about to give up, leave a note and go. Took one more look into his car and there he was micro napping amongst the "stuff" in his car. You've seen his car you know it would be easy to miss someone snoozing in among that "stuff".

At that Bock festival later that evening, Dave participated in a black forest torte eating contest....no hands. You can imagine that beard! He didn't win, but he did that every year after until Fitger's quit doing the bock hunt as part of their festival.

If anyone ever needed anything, all you had to do was ask and he'd be there. If it was something he had in his car, he knew exactly where in that "stuff" he would find it. It was amazing.

He also did electrical work. His friend Jon built a house in western Wisconsin a few years ago. Dave did the house wiring for him and his wife Cheryl. During that time, Dave had fallen on some hard financial times and his "jalopy" quit running for the last time. His friend not only paid for him to do the wiring, he bought him a different car. Very recently, Jon had a heart attack and died. He and Jon had been close friends for over 40 years. Dave was deeply saddened by the loss of that friend and had been spending time helping Jon's wife take care of some things.

So now Jon and Dave are together again.

There are so many memories...we are so lucky to have known him.