Northern Star Treasure Found, Clues Explained – Northern Star
DeKALB – Caroline Menzer, a political science major, took advantage of the three clues the Northern Star posted each morning this week and found the “Northern Star Treasure Hunt” paperweight hidden in the awning of the now-closed Northern Television Center.
Menzer, who works as an alumni volunteer engagement intern with the NIU Alumni Association, was pleased to win the awards donated by businesses and organizations around DeKalb.
“I enter competitions sometimes, but I’ve never actually won anything,” Menzer said.
Menzer followed the tips on Monday and Tuesday, but didn’t search until the third tip was posted at 8 a.m. Wednesday.
After seeing the word “alum” in Wednesday’s clue and solving Tuesday’s clue – which led them to the word “leave” – Menzer and her colleagues decided to check out the empty building outside her office at the Barsema Alumni and Visitor’s Center.
After a few minutes of searching, Menzer pulled out the paperweight with the help of her colleagues, who lifted it onto her shoulders.
The Northern Star did not require the finder to physically retrieve the paperweight if it was out of reach. The finder was allowed to share a photo of the location to claim the prizes.
All treasure hunt prizes, totaling nearly $600, were donated by Vinny’s Pizza, NIU Foundation, Fatty’s Pub & Grille, Texas Roadhouse, Pittsley Realty, FNBO, Rosita’s Mexican Restaurant, Cast Iron, Huskie Books & Gear and other items, which were donated anonymously.
MONDAY
The first clue was written to rule out anywhere east of North Annie Glidden Road. The paperweight has historically been hidden in the older east half of campus, prompting this year’s clue writer, photo editor Sean Reed, to leave that half of campus.
TUESDAY
The second clue was written as a puzzle. Throughout history there have been references to numbers; “Once,” “two,” “one,” “fortnight,” “XV,” “fourteenth,” “fifth,” and “before.”
The use of the numbers—1, 2, 1, 14, 15, 14, 5, and 4—along with the clue at the end of the clue, “I’m counting on you to know your ABCs,” is intended to lead the reader to count through the alphabet to get the letters that correspond to these numbers.
The final solution is the word “leave.”
Notably, the Northern Television Center has not been operational since 2019.
WEDNESDAY
The third clue involved puns. The partially unformatted “ring it out of the park” was a reference to the ringing of a bell in reference to Mary M. Bell Field.
“But toward the fall season” refers to the most popular fall sport – football. A ball hit at Mary M. Bell Field is not typically hit toward the football stadium, hence the word “but.”
Finally, the note mentions that Alum doesn’t interfere, which points to the Alumni and Visitors Center, but not the actual building.
This note is intended to be read in one of two ways: The first is to take a path. The second – and probably more helpful way to read it – would be to draw lines between each location, roughly centering the NTC when drawn from the furthest point of each location.
