08/12/2025
For all those who participated in the hunt, we (Cathy and Jeff) thank you for a great time!!! And... For Those Who Like Details Of The Clues...
2025 Columbus Days (Peace, Love, Columbus) Coin Search
The coin (hand painted with a peace sign on one side and the Apollo 11 logo on the other) was hidden near the Columbus water tower. It was nestled in the crack of one of the posts that encircle the water tower. It was on the north side of the water tower in the 13th post from the NE corner of the ring of posts.
Introduction
A group of NASA Historians from Cape Canaveral has reached out to Mayor Bulkley requesting his and the town’s help. The factual information given from the National Aeronautical Space Association is as follows:
At the moment of the first space walk on 20 July 1969, Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were discussing who should go first. They decided to flip a coin. As Neal flipped the coin into the air, the two astronauts sadly watched the coin float quietly and slowly out into space. They had forgotten to factor the lack of gravity into their plan.
NASA has discovered new data and determined this small, but special coin entered into earth’s orbit and has landed in the Columbus, Nebraska area. NASA is asking the people of Columbus to search for this special coin. Please join Mayor Bulkley and police officials in this search so we can return this special coin to NASA.
float= first reference to water
small, but special coin= description of the hidden object
Clue #1
Since no credible leads have been reported, we heard it through the grapevine that Sandie Fischer from the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce has requested external help. We reached out to the chamber for details. Sandie told us, “We secured the resources of the Scooby-Doo gang to help us with the search.” Since we all know Sandie is an upright leader who is both bold and brilliant, it’s certain to be a fine idea.
Upright, b-words = If you look closely at the “Columbus” on the water tower, you will notice all letters appear italicized, with exception of the “b”, which is written upright.
Clue #2
In her feverish search for clues, Scooby Doo gang member Daphne discovered the best place in Columbus to purchase white-leather bell-bottom pants back in 1974 was Lerners in the Northland Mall. She was quite jealous, as she learned they used the most experienced leather tanner in the whole country. Once she moved on from her dapper
daydreaming and wrote out her notes, she joined back up with the gang. They were investigating the best Columbus cruising route of that era.
white- leather, leather tanner= the word TAWER is a historic leather working term referring to a leather tanner/bleacher. TAWER is an anagram of water.
1974= the year the water tower was built.
wrote= anagram of tower.
Clue #3
Velma, the brains of the Scooby Doo operation, decided Carnegie was the place to look for clues. Having been around for over 100 years, it must have a flood of information. She noted the Bookmobile, being 50 plus years in existence, would also be a pillar of help. Velma detected this historic structure housed 13 stacks of mystery novels, which she thought splashing! When she heard 4 or 5 honks from the Scooby van, she yelled “Jinkies” and absconded with a clue she found in the 14th microfilm she duplicated. In her haste, she lost the clue that read, “59 years ago almost to the day, an evacuation of 1,000 families, damage to 634 houses and 24 businesses occurred.”
flood, splashing= water references.
pillar= similar structure to the post.
13 stacks= the water tower has 13 rows of blocks.
4 or 5= the water tower is between 4th and 5th street.
14th duplicated= 14x2, the water tower is on 28th Avenue.
Clue #4
Sandie Fischer just received a cable from Fred Jones, who is the take-charge member of the Scooby Gang. He told Sandie he didn’t want to make waves, but requested the cable be posted immediately. The cable reads as follows: “The Scooby Gang is getting ever closer to discovering the location of the missing NASA coin. We have determined the coin is beautifully and colorfully hand painted. The suggestion there is a diamond set into the eye of an eagle has been debunked, however it is thought white and blue are prominent colors. Please continue to search high and low and supply us with any and every lead you discover.”
cable (appears several times in the clue)= the post where the hidden coin was hidden is connected to the other posts with a cable.
waves= there are waves painted on the water tower.
posted= coin is hidden in a post.
colorfully hand painted= description of the hidden coin.
white and blue are prominent colors= water tower is white with blue lettering.
high and low and supply= words that could be used to describe the water in a water tower.
Clue #5
Shaggy and Scooby have been doing their own investigations, being pretty sure important coin information can be found by following their cravings, which today is a tasty hot dog. Their noses led them to the old location of the Dog & Suds. As Scooby was sniffing around the premises, he was approached by an upright b buzzing around. The b whispered in Scooby’s ear “think 13 rows, 5205 feet in the horizontal,160 feet in the vertical, and act post haste.”
upright b= Another reference to the lettering on the water tower, see explanation for Clue #1.
13 rows= = the water tower has 13 rows of blocks
5205 feet in the horizontal,160 feet in the vertical= The water tower is ~5205 feet from the old location of “Dog & Suds” (now Runza). The water tower is 160 feet tall.
post= the coin was hidden in a post
Clue #6
The Scooby-Doo gang has realized that someone has found the special coin. The location will be given out later today. They also found one last clue that read: “Many bunnies formed a bunny club that didn’t last forever- bounce 3,837 feet S/W and Y-knot hop 3,530 feet S/E, then finally wander through the grass and the shiny round coin will be right under your nose.”
bunny club, 3837 feet= the water tower is ~3837 feet southwest of the location of the Bunny Club in Columbus.
Y-knot, 3530 feet S/E= the water tower is ~3530 feet southeast of the location of the Y-knot in Columbus.
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