2017 Eagle Medallion Hunt clues explained

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story had a wrong word in the second line of Day 7's clue.

This year’s medallion was under a pine cone at the base of an elm tree growing along a ditch next to the Redbud Trail. The tree is near a Y-shaped exit from the trail to 10th and Yale.

The medallion was found early Thursday.

Here are each day’s clues and what they meant.

DAY ONE

Howdy, hunters, the latest quest has begun.

Check out the rules and be involved in the fun.

From the clues the location surmise.

Figure it out and win a grand prize.

The primary clue in this one is be involved. That phrase is engraved into a pillar at the Redbud’s trailhead at Ninth and Hillside.

DAY TWO

Skip the friendship, and the harvest’s no good.

Oak isn’t right, you know that’s just some wood.

What’s the prospect of winning? It’s not here, I’d say.

Kermit’s lament is right, so go the other way.

This clue told hunters the medallion wasn’t in a park. Friendship, Harvest, Oak and Prospect are all Wichita parks. The other way from Kermit’s lament, “It’s not easy being green,” meant it wasn’t a green space either.

DAY THREE

One killed Dickinson, the other was killed by Burr

Put them side by side, their legacies as it were

Capture the thought and occasionally repeat

It’s impressionistic; at the same time concrete

The first line is about Andrew Jackson and Alexander Hamilton. Among their legacies are the $20 and $10 bills, respectively. Put them side by side and you have 2010. That date is stamped – an impression – several times in the concrete portion of the trail near the hiding spot.

DAY FOUR

We’re now partway through our little ludus.

As some would notice, this one’s a Judas.

One final hint, a colorful add.

As Lou would ask, “who’s on first, comrade?”

This clue was all about the Redbud Trail. A redbud tree is also known as a Judas tree. The last two lines are about the Bud Abbott and Lou Costello comedy routine. Colorful and comrade pointed to Lou calling Bud “red,” a slang term for a Communist.

DAY FIVE

It takes a village to raise a crowd.

Gesturing wide and singing out loud.

It’s symbolism we mean, if a yen does appear.

Does X mark the spot? No, but it’s near.

Here it was all about the Y shape of the path where it exits at 10th and Yale. The first two lines hint at the Village People song “YMCA,” in which many people who sing it spell out the letters with their arms, the Y being one where people gesture wide. The symbol for Japanese yen is Y. X is next to Y in the alphabet. X is also the Roman numeral for 10, pointing to 10th Street.

DAY SIX

Partially known as a yearn in the heart.

Silence descends. Well, at least if you’re smart.

For Mephistopheles it comes to a head.

In Goethe’s epic ode to bargains and dread.

The medallion was placed under a pine cone at the base of the tree. A synonym for yearn is pine. The second line alludes to the Cone of Silence on the TV show “Get Smart.” The last two lines are about Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Faust.” In the play about the dangers of making a deal with the devil, Mephistopheles says: “Anon a taller one I catch. ... A thyrsus-staff alone I snatch, that for a head doth pine-cone wear.”

DAY SEVEN

A traditional wedding, the deal almost sealed.

Read between the lines, and the clue is revealed.

Closer to cryptic but not a big mystery.

If you’re on the right path, you can make history.

A traditional wedding ends with “you may kiss the bride.” Right before that is “in sickness and in health” and “till death us do part.” The portion of the trail where the medallion was hidden is between Wesley Medical Center (sickness and health) and Maple Grove Cemetery (death). Closer to cryptic meant it was nearer to the cemetery. Make history in the last line is another phrase on one of the pillars at the trailhead.

DAY EIGHT

By gully this is crazy, but it’s loco no more.

We’ve told you two sides. The third sounds like four.

Where a prestigious school meets leaping lords.

At its base be on the lookout for future boards.

Gully refers to the ditch that runs next to the tree. Loco no more refers to the fact that the trail used to be a railroad. Sounds like four hinted at fore, a term used in golf. The MacDonald Golf Course is north of the hiding spot. A prestigious school pointed to Yale Street. Leaping lords references 10 lords a-leaping, meaning 10th Street. The medallion was at the base of a tree, which could be cut up into boards.

Related links:

Wichita Riverfest official site

Eagle coverage of 2017 Wichita River Festival

VIDEOS:

2017 Medallion winners share their secrets

Hungry? Tips from the Riverfest food court

Children participate in Pillowcase Project at Riverfest

Flaming Lips perform at Wichita River Festival

Sundown Parade opens Riverfest 2017

’Doc’ makes a low-altitude pass over downtown Wichita

This story was originally published June 9, 2017 at 2:43 PM with the headline "2017 Eagle Medallion Hunt clues explained."