Friends Team Up to Find Pan-O-Prog Medallion

This year’s Lakeville Pan-O-Prog medallion was discovered by two incoming sixth-graders at Kenwood Trail Middle School.

Wyatt Hall and Ethan Vanden Busch, both 11 and friends who met through playing hockey, found the medallion in Valley Lake Park on July 11.

The buddies split the $500 prize.

Ethan is no stranger to medallion hunting, said his mother, Angela Vanden Busch. He and his family discovered the medallion for Lakeville’s annual summer festival three years ago, when it was hidden in Oak Shores Park.

This year marked the first time Wyatt went medallion hunting, she said.

Angela Vanden Busch described the winning search in an email to Patch:

On Wednesday, the boys decided that if they found it they would split the money. We talked about the clues and looked at the map and Wyatt thought Valley Lake Park would be a good place to start, but we didn't find it that day.

When the clue came out on Thursday, we thought it was still pointing to Valley Lake Park, so we went again. We found it within about the first 15 minutes we were there. We went under a willow tree and started looking around. Ethan found a bird's nest and said, "I think there's something under here.” Then he pulled it out and yelled excitedly "I found it, I found it!" It was a lot of fun for them and they were so excited.

Wyatt was not sure how he would spend his share of the winnings, Angela Vanden Busch said. As for Ethan, he wants a wakeboard.

Ethan’s thrill of victory didn’t last long, though, his mother said. He broke his jaw while waterskiing on Lake Marion the afternoon after he and Wyatt found the medallion.

Here are the clues to this year’s medallion hunt:

CLUE #5 - Thursday, July 11: It's not underground, or high in the air. It's not out of reach, that wouldn't be fair. So look all around, from valley to hill. You'll find it you know, by believing you will.

CLUE #4 - Wednesday, July 10: You can play on the swings, or ride on your bike. From where you park, it's a pretty good hike. You can play in the sand, or slip down the slide. That tricky medallion sure knows how to hide!

CLUE #3 - Tuesday, July 9: The prize can be found near a school or a park. So look all day long, but stop when it's dark. You don't need a ladder, you won't need a tool. It's not in a lake, though that would be cool!

CLUE #2 - Monday, July 8: These very first clues won't tell you a lot. But reading them all will give you a shot. If you start looking now, you'll soon get too tired. But don't give up hope, keep staying inspired.

CLUE #1:  Pan-O-Prog's here and there's no time to be slow, there's treasure to find, so look high and look low! You gotta start somewhere, so here's your very first clue.  Be ready on Monday, July 8 for Clue #2!