Thinking outside the box and knowing a bit of Allen County history led Brad Hesse Jr. to the Farm-City Days medallion Sunday.
Hesse found the medallion ?hidden? in the Old Allen County Jail, just off Iola?s courthouse square on North Jefferson Avenue. The find netted him $500.
Jerad Larkey, who hid the medallion, detailed via Facebook, the reasoning behind the seemingly obscure clues.
?We try to bring different perspectives each year to keep it fresh and people on their toes,? Larkey said.
The clues, and brief explanations on how they tied together, follow:
? Going in circles, hot on the right track. ?Once the right location was found, if you felt you were walking in circles to find the clue, that?s a reminder not to give up, as you were on the right track,? Larkey said. It referred to the life of those inmates who had no choice to walk around the box in circles.
? United communities both near and afar, this connected many a town. Once the old jail was built, it was used for decades by surrounding counties to house inmates in Allen County.
? Some call it vandalism, to others it?s art. Many of the inmates, in their spare time, drew pictures on the jail walls. ?If you haven?t taken a tour of the jail already, I encourage you to do so,? Larkey wrote.
? A northeast wind might help you in flight. This referred to the medallion?s exact location, outside the jail?s northeast window.
? From Alabama tides to Wyoming hills, be prepared to drive outside the box. Alabama and Wyoming roads border Allen County. ?Outside the box? meant the medallion was on the outside of the jail, ?literally ?the county box,?? Larkey explained.
? Have no fear to get your hands dirty, if afraid of snakes no need to worry. Retrieving the medallion meant reaching between the bars and the window?s edge. ?The medallion was just hiding behind bars, just waiting to be freed,? Larkey said.
? I hope you?ve refueled as you set ground toward this pound. For most towns that used the jail, it meant traveling long distance in vehicles that had nowhere near the gas mileage of today?s vehicles. The ?pound? is a slang term for prison or jail.
As an added bonus, the eighth (and final) clue most likely would have sent searchers out of town to the Mildred Store, Larkey noted.
?Serving bread and meals for roughly 100 years.?
THE ANNUAL celebration hits high gear Friday, with myriad activities set up at Strickler Dairy, including drone tutorials ? keeping in spirit with the 2018 theme, ?Soaring to New Heights? ? as well as assorted games, a paper airplane contest and tours of the dairy.
