It is tradition that every year the St. Paul Winter Carnival holds a Medallion Hunt. Every day the Pioneer Press posts a clue as to where the medallion is hidden. They continue this until the twelfth day, when they basically say where to find it, but usually it is found by the time the sixth or seventh clue is released.

The medallion hunt began back in 1952 with the prize being around $2,500, the 2014 prize was $5,000. Ben Haselman, a St. Paul resident, has been searching for this medallion since he was a boy, and 2014 was his lucky year. Haselman found the medallion where it was hidden in Como Park, inside a blue jeans pocket buried in ice and snow.

Haselman actually found the medallion back in 1993. It was hidden in a dirty diaper, and his dad made him set it down because he did not think to look inside it for the medallion, he just thought it was trash. Now, 20 years later, Haselman finally claimed the prize he deserved when he was six years old.

The prize for finding the medallion is $5,000. Bob Hughes from the Pioneer Press explained how Haselman doubled his prize.

“He received $10,000 – $5,000 for finding the gold-colored plastic puck, $2,500 for bringing in copies of the published clues and $2,500 for registering his Winter Carnival button with the St. Paul Festival & Heritage Foundation, which produces the St. Paul Winter Carnival,” said Hughes.

Hughes is a huge part of the Winter Carnival. He plans each event and helps organize sponsors for them.

“This year I served as the co-chair of the St. Paul Winter Carnival Planning Committee, which oversees the 60 plus events that take place during the festival.  Prior to that I served on the board of directors of the St. Paul Festival & Heritage Foundation – two of those years I served as board chair of the festival which is the largest and longest running winter celebration in the world. This year marked the 128th year of the festival. I also serve on the Winter Carnival Golf committee and Spirits of Carnival committee,” said Hughes.

The hunt is very well planned out. The whole process is very secretive and kept from anyone not directly involved.

“A person who does not work for the Pioneer Press writes the clues and hides the medallion. The name of the clue writer and the location of the medallion are mysteries to all employees and people associated with the St. Paul Winter Carnival,” Hughes added.

The medallion hunt has been a tradition for a long time, but the Pioneer Press decided to change things up. This year, the Pioneer Press included different ways to access the clues, keeping up with modern day media.

Hughes said, “This year marked the 62nd consecutive year of the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt. This year, the Pioneer Press released an Android and iPhone app that connected hunters to the clues, forums and maps of past finds that could help in uncovering the puck. Hunters also had access to daily clues via TwinCities.com, the Pioneer Press, Facebook and Twitter. Numerous people also had blogs.”

Other members of the Winter Carnival community like Melissa Moser of Bremer Bank like to get involved with the medallion hunt as well.

“My dad is a former King Boreas. My husband was a South Wind in 2002.  I am on the board of directors for St. Paul Festival and Heritage that puts on Winter Carnival and Cinco de Mayo. We have not technically participated in the hunt simply because being board members and legend characters we are not allowed to, but me and my kids like to try to solve the clues. It’s very exciting figuring out the clues and all that,” said Moser.

Most other Winter Carnival events such as the ice skating rink in Rice Park end Feb. 2.