The Search for the St. Paul Sixpence ended Thursday under a choke cherry tree. And the successful searcher, Jeremy Andryauskas, can now savor his sweet rewards.
A Spring Jam activity directed at involving more of the University community in the campus event, the treasure hunt started March 11. About 200 students, staff and faculty members participated in the search.
Andryauskas found the gold, 3-inch medallion Thursday on the ground by a choke cherry tree near Christensen Lab in a courtyard on the St. Paul campus.
“I started searching on Tuesday with the second clue,” Andryauskas said. “When I heard about the search, I left lunch to go look for it.”
A sophomore at the University majoring in recreation and resource management in the College of Natural Resources, Andryauskas said the search was a lot of fun.
Among the prizes included in the package are a pair of tickets for nine men’s and women’s Gophers athletics games next fall and winter, two jackets, two T-shirts, four basketballs and two water bottles. All of the prizes were donated by the men’s and women’s athletics departments.
Following the idea behind the St. Paul Winter Carnival medallion hunt, the search committee wanted to start a tradition, said David Fleischhacker, special events coordinator of the St. Paul Student Center.
“Quite a few people participated in the search, and it will definitely happen again next year,” he said.
The search committee, comprised of members from the St. Paul Student Center, men’s and women’s athletics and the Spring Jam Committee, is considering involving University Bookstores in the hunt in following years. But they want to remain strongly connected to the athletics departments, Fleischhacker said.
— Robin Huiras