Finding the Farm-City Days medallion required a bit of knowledge about superheroes, Allen County trivia and an active imagination.
And had the hunt lasted long enough, being familiar with the works of Shakespeare would have helped.
Alas, the hunt ended Monday, when word spread the medallion — a molded replica of Captain America’s shield — was found.
It had been hidden in the Elsmore Community Garden, inside one of the tires used for planting.
This year’s hunt was
the brainchild of Shelli Sinclair, who worked in league with her family members to find the medallion in three previous hunts, including last year’s. (Hey, if you can’t beat them, just let them do the hiding.)
The finder, who wished to keep their secret identity, was able to piece together the clues referring primarily to superheroes, in accordance with the theme for the 2021 Farm-City Days celebration, which kicks off Thursday.
“After finding the medallion in 2020, my family suggested that we write the clues for 2021,” Sinclair explained, although the thought was pushed aside until committee members returned to her about a month ago to see if she wanted to follow through.
She did.
“Without my family’s knowledge, I hesitantly agreed to do it alone,” Sinclair said. “I immediately knew I wanted it in a new town, but it took me the entire month to finalize the clues.”
Sinclair never revealed the medallion’s location to her family members, or that she was involved in writing the clues until the medallion had been found.
Sinclair broke down her cryptic clues, and how it should have led seekers to Elsmore.
1. “Destined to fight the next evil zero is the main comic character, the superhero.”
2. “If the Flash suggests a foot race, chances are you’ll come in 2nd place.”
Clues #1 and #2 referenced the medallion being hidden on the corner of Main and 2nd Street.
