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Joe Soucheray's Winter Carnival Treasure Hunt Clues Explained!

It's that time of year again. Time for the St. Paul Winter Carnival, and the accompanying treasure hunt, which is sponsored by the city's daily newspaper, the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Joe Soucheray is a Pioneer Press columnist and a talk radio host. Every year you can hear callers to his show saying, "We know you write the clues and hide the medallion." Of course, he denies it. But what else can he do? Even if it's true, he'd have to deny it.

I used to believe his denial, but now I'm not so sure. So this year, I'm going to examine each day's clue through the prism of Joe Soucheray's mind. I leave it up to you to judge for yourself who is really the clueless one.

#1
Treasure hunters swarming amidst global warming
Make it hard to park our loot.
Look for snow and ice, enough to suffice,
To shorten your winter pursuit.

Explanation: The "Mayor of Garage Logic" is a sly one! I read his first clue and I thought, "Global warming? Joe doesn't believe in global warming. Maybe Joe doesn't write the clues after all."

But then I realized, that's exactly what he wants us to think! He even worked a sarcastic mention of global warming into his newspaper column that day, right there on the same page as the clue! And it was a column about the winter carnival. Brilliant! He was just trying to reinforce the notion that he doesn't believe in global warming, so he couldn't possibly be the clue writer.

Pretty tricky!

#2
Son of Pear, hometown fare,
The nut of this year's quest.
Sweetest patty, never a baddie,
Covers the prize at rest.

Explanation: These clues are unusually obvious. I've never seen second-day clues this clear. Obviously, there are references here to
the PEARSON Candy Company, which is right here in St. Paul, and makes the NUT GOODIE candy patty. The medallion must be hidden in a Nut Goodie wrapper.

Joe must have been feeling that he'd given away too much here, because on his radio show Monday, someone called in claiming to represent the Pearson Candy Company (yeah, right) and complained that people were looking for the medallion on his company's property. Joe pointed out that the medallion is always hidden on public property -- a park -- so people should leave the candy company alone.

But where Joe really went too far was the way that he feigned ignorance of these extremely obvious clues. "Why would anyone be looking at Pearson Candy?" was his response to the call. As the clues were "explained" to him, he still acted clueless.

And Joe really overplayed his hand this time. After some time had passed on his show, he suddenly declared, "Now I get it. Pear and son. Pearson. I didn't get it until now."

Yeah, right. No one could be that dense. As the bard wrote, "Thou protests too much."

#3
Men with a garter should have been smarter
Than to mix drink with their vulcanic activities.
You would be wise to look for the prize
By taking up a child's proclivities.

Explanation: Joe continues trying to misdirect us in clue number 3. The reference to "vulcanic" is supposed to throw us off the real track, by making us think of the winter carnival "Vulcan Krewe" of rowdies, who last year went a little too far with a case of "thigh-way robbery."

But Joe gives us a little tip by not capitalizing "vulcanic" (not "volcanic" with an "o") even though it's a reference to Vulcan, the mythological god of fire.

When it comes to men and garters, what would Joe really be thinking? That's right, sock garters. And what kind of socks? Not white tube socks. No, DARK SOCKS! Like the Dark Socks Classic, Joe's golf tournament.

I think Joe has hidden the medallion on a golf course. [UPDATE: I've been reminded that the rules state the medallion will not be hidden on a golf course. So it must be near a golf course. Or you can see a golf course from there. Or some such not-so-helpful connection to a golf course.]

 

Today (Jan. 25), Joe's newspaper column is about him and the clues.
I even earned a mention!

#4
For the brave of heart, it's time to start
Searching hill and glen.
Pitch a tent if that's your bent
But stay within your ken.

Explanation: Like an expert magician, Joe continues to fool us with misdirection. Naturally, people are going to think this clue directs them to Highland Park. There's the reference to "brave" and "heart," which is mindful of the movie "Braveheart," about that famous Scotsman from down-under. There's "hill" and "glen." And of course, Highland Park High School's teams are the "Scots." Throw in the fact that a circus troupe operates out of a tent-shaped building in Highland Park, and it's a slam dunk, right?

Don't be so sure. Joe is an expert at the subtle art of clue writing. The only question is this: Is Joe the epitome of the double-agent, masterfully manipulating both sides of the treasure hunt game with deliberate attention to detail? Or is he more the idiot savant of clue writers, concocting confounding clues without even realizing what he is doing?

For instance, what are we to make of that last line, "But stay within your ken"? What does that mean? I had to look up the word "ken" to find that it can mean within your own understanding or knowledge. Did Joe know that? Or did he just stumble upon that meaning by accident? I think he had something else in mind. So ask yourself, what goes with "ken"? The answer, of course, is "Barbie." I think Joe was making an oblique reference to BARBED WIRE! He's telling you to stay within an area, and don't try to cross the barbed wire. Maybe he's referring to a fence surrounding Como Zoo.

Joe speaks often of his school boy days at Hill High School. That school is now known as the Hill-Murray Pioneers. John Glenn was a pioneer in space during Joe's formative years.

Let's see. Como Zoo is in Como Park, which includes Como Golf Course. Look for connections to "pioneers," and I think you'll be on the right track. (Nebraska Avenue is near the park. Nebraska was settled by pioneers. Pioneers had to be brave. They may have stayed in tents. Hmmmm.)

UPDATE: A reliable source has given me this tip: Willa Cather's 1913 classic novel "O Pioneers" is set in Nebraska. The plot thickens.

#5
If you're aerobic and hardly tree-phobic
You might make your outing pay.
Don't be left in the lurch, do your research,
This could be your red-letter day.

Explanation: Looks like Joe starts with some more misdirection, designed to conceal his identity as the clue writer. The Mayor of Garage Logic likes his daily walk, but he would never call it something as pretentious as "aerobic." And while he's not afraid of trees, he is surely no tree-hugger. (Ironically, though, Joe has probably interviewed more trees as on-air guests than any other Twin Cities talk radio host.)

There is another tree-related possibility here. I used to cut and sell firewood, and I know that can be a pretty good aerobic workout, and it can pay ($). This might be a reference to firewood, which is a clue to look near a FIREPIT in the park!

"Lurch" is the butler to the "Addams Family." Joe has recently been talking about John Adams, the Founding Father who was the second U.S. president. Could there be an "Adams" connection here? Keep your eye open for that. John Adams, and "research," and yesterday's "pioneers" theme all tie into American history, and possibly a library. Remember that, too.

"Red letters" is likely a reference to the cyrillic alphabet, used in Russia. And what was the biggest day of the year in communist (red) Russia? May Day, of course. And what do people do on May Day? They give May Baskets -- filled with flowers. And where do you find flowers this time of year? In the Como Park Conservatory.

It continues to all come together. Como Park is where Joe hid the medallion.

#6
On a whim you may take a swim
Or go in and out of the woods.
Twixt high and low, we hope there's snow
To cover up the goods.

Explanation: Those first lines sound like a description of Joe's golf game. Keep looking NEAR -- not ON -- a golf course. With "twixt," he's trying to confuse you by making you think of a TWIX candy bar, after first sending you out after the Nut Goodie. (What's with these food-based clues? Maybe Joe has a first-year assistant.)

 

MEDALLION FOUND!

The medallion was found following the sixth clue. Read about the winners, and the rest of the clues, plus explanations, in the Pioneer Press.

It wasn't in Como Park after all. Joe, you sure fooled me!