La Crosse Tribune,
September 21, 2006 . . .
Found: Longtime hunters
find Oktoberfest
Medallion in three clues
By Autumn Grooms
They were sure it was at
Franciscan Skemp Medical
Center on Tuesday. Then
Wednesday’s clue sent
them to Gundersen
Lutheran.
But after conferring
with their husbands,
Peggy Manson and her
daughters, Sarah Kratt
and Rachael Kaiser,
headed to the Health
Science Center, a
collaboration between La
Crosse’s medical centers
and higher education
institutions.
Shortly after their
arrival — and after only
three clues were
released — the three La
Crosse women found the
Oktoberfest Medallion
hidden in bushes under
the center’s sign at
9:15 a.m. Wednesday.
All this while they had
just three minutes
remaining on their
parking meter.
“They were screaming and
running,” Manson said
after the treasure was
found. “I thought they’d
found a hornet’s nest.”
Kratt and Kaiser said
the trio was so loud, a
woman from the building
came out to make sure
everything was OK.
The 17-member Manson
Family made medallion
hunting an annual event
about 14 years ago,
searching in rain and
darkness.
They’d identified the
medallion’s hiding spot
in the past, but someone
else always found it
first, Kratt said.
Finding the medallion
means $500, several gift
certificates and two
tickets to the
Festmaster’s Ball.
Manson said they’ll use
their newfound funds to
help pay for a family
trip to a Wisconsin
Dells resort.
While last year’s
medallion remained
hidden through six clues
last year, it has been
found quickly in the
past. Four clues were
released before it was
found in 2002, and just
one led two men to its
hiding place in 1999.
Autumn Grooms can be
reached at (608)
791-8424 or agrooms@lacrossetribune.com.
