Hidden medallion found

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News

October 7, 2015 - 12:00 AM

The search is over.
The inaugural Farm-City Days Medallion Hunt ended late Tuesday afternoon at the old Fred Funston homesite north of Iola.
Brothers Joseph and Jason DeVoe and other family members searched for about 45 minutes before finding the small, metal medallion fastened to the side of an elm tree. The family receives the $500 grand prize for finding the medallion.
The family followed a series of obscure clues crafted by Donna Houser, released one day at a time.
It was the third clue, released Tuesday morning — “There’s nothing better than some good smoked pork. But, don’t bother bringing a knife or a fork” — that sent the family north.
“We had been searching every day since the first clue was released Saturday morning,” Joseph DeVoe said. “The ‘smoke’ clue led us to the old smokehouse on the (Funston) property. Sheri Taylor discovered the link to the smokehouse while searching the Internet for smoke-related terms associated with Allen County.”
One item noted the Funstons had a smokehouse on the property along Old 169 north of Iola. The Funston house, of course, was moved to the courthouse square in Iola in the mid 1990s. But the smokehouse remained.
“There were too many tall weeds to put it on the smokehouse,” Houser told the Register this morning, “so we looked around for another place to hide it.”
Houser expressed mild disappointment the medallion was found so quickly, but was pleasantly surprised to hear who won it.
“I know those kids from when they were in school,” she said. “I’m glad they won it.”
Aaron Franklin, Farm-City Days Committee member, noted that even though the medallion has been found, the buttons participants purchased in order to be a part of it are still being sold in the run-up to next week’s festival.
A series of drawings for other prizes, such as an Apple Watch, PS4 videogame system, Kansas City Chiefs tickets and other prizes are planned for Oct. 15-17.
The buttons cost $2 apiece and are available at Jump Start Travel Center, Audacious Boutique, the weekly Allen County Farmers’ Market and from a booth outside Iola Walmart on Saturdays. The buttons also can be purchased from Farm-City Days Committee members.

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