2008 DPHS Horseshoe Hunt
Mirsch family snags triple crown
By Keighla Schmidt, Staff Writer June 19, 2008 - 11:38am
True to the competitive horse-racing theme of her hometown, Ann Mirsch and her son Walter found the hidden Dan Patch Days horseshoe for the third time in four years.
“I did my triple crown -- that was my goal,” she said. “It’s like horse races.” Horseshoe found: Ann Mirsch and her son Walter hold the horseshoe they found at Camp Savage.
Mirsch, who wasn’t planning to look for the hidden replica of the famous pacer Dan Patch’s horseshoe this year, couldn’t resist following her original hunch when she read this year’s third clue and got Walter out of bed Saturday, June 14, to explore Camp Savage.
“I was surprised about how much the third clue led right to the camp,” she said. “Usually it’s not that obvious until the last clue.”
Ann said she didn’t read the second clue, but after using an Internet search engine she found out the numbers 442 referenced in the clue were the same numbers as an infantry regiment from World War II that received language training at Camp Savage. So, she knew it had to be the spot.
“I thought from the start it might be Camp Savage,” she said. “To be honest, I never had another thought, from the first clue, I thought it’d be here.”
Another main source of information to help decipher the clues was the Dan Patch Historical Society’s Web site and the numerous sites about the hometown pacer.
“It’s amazing how much stuff comes up if you just search Dan Patch,” Ann said.
She said finding the horseshoe isn’t about getting the reward money, or even about riding in the parade anymore – they plan to donate both. Instead, it’s about the thrill of finding it, doing both research and physical activities with her kids and getting to know more about the town.
“There are things I know about Savage that I didn’t know before,” Walter said. “Especially about Dan Patch.”
Understanding the riddles and knowing what words to look for in the clues helped lead the duo to the shoe. The key, they said, is to listen to your hunch, but also consider other places.
“You really have to start with an open mind,” Ann’s husband, Mark, said. “You can’t rule anywhere out.”
Mark didn’t help find the shoe because he was out of town and when Ann called to say she and Walter found it, but he was surprised.
“I was like, ‘huh? I thought you weren’t looking for it this year,’” he recalled. “I was surprised to hear her say she found it.”
So were others at the camp.
Ann said there was a group of other people standing around and it looked like they were preparing to head off into the woods to search for the shoe when she and Walter parked, went to the flag pole, the memorial plaque and finally a flood light on the ground and found the shoe wrapped in plastic snuggled in the mulch around the light.
“They looked at us and were like, ‘Did they just find the horseshoe? How’d they know?’” she said. “This one, to me, was pretty obvious.”
When she helped find the shoe other years, it wasn’t as easy.
“The first year was the hardest,” she said.
Degree of difficulty wasn’t the only difference.
This year was different from years past when they found the shoe because the Mirsch family worked solo. In 2005 and 2006, the Mirsch family formed a team with another family, the Bernicks. Julie Bernick is a member of the Dan Patch Days Board and after negative rumors, rules were made regarding the search for the horseshoe, including the exclusion of members of the Dan Patch Days board members and people winning in back-to-back years.
“It’s not the same anymore without the rest of our team,” Ann said. “I think we’ll retire after this year.”
She and Mark acknowledged the new rules, but also think they’re being true to the spirit of Dan Patch.
“Dan Patch was a winner, he was competitive, it’s just like that,” Mark said. “We work just as hard as anyone else to find it.”
He also added he thinks the family would be criticized no matter what they do, if they try too hard or don’t try. The two even waited until Tuesday when one of her son’s had an appointment to get his hair cut at Razor’s Edge to turn in the horseshoe, despite finding it early Saturday morning. (The shop is closed both Sunday and Monday.)
“It was like, ‘Oh! Wow, we’ve got the shoe again,’” Ann said.
Ann added she hopes their competitiveness motivates other groups to search as hard as they do.
By Keighla Schmidt, Staff Writer June 19, 2008 - 11:38am
True to the competitive horse-racing theme of her hometown, Ann Mirsch and her son Walter found the hidden Dan Patch Days horseshoe for the third time in four years.
“I did my triple crown -- that was my goal,” she said. “It’s like horse races.” Horseshoe found: Ann Mirsch and her son Walter hold the horseshoe they found at Camp Savage.
Mirsch, who wasn’t planning to look for the hidden replica of the famous pacer Dan Patch’s horseshoe this year, couldn’t resist following her original hunch when she read this year’s third clue and got Walter out of bed Saturday, June 14, to explore Camp Savage.
“I was surprised about how much the third clue led right to the camp,” she said. “Usually it’s not that obvious until the last clue.”
Ann said she didn’t read the second clue, but after using an Internet search engine she found out the numbers 442 referenced in the clue were the same numbers as an infantry regiment from World War II that received language training at Camp Savage. So, she knew it had to be the spot.
“I thought from the start it might be Camp Savage,” she said. “To be honest, I never had another thought, from the first clue, I thought it’d be here.”
Another main source of information to help decipher the clues was the Dan Patch Historical Society’s Web site and the numerous sites about the hometown pacer.
“It’s amazing how much stuff comes up if you just search Dan Patch,” Ann said.
She said finding the horseshoe isn’t about getting the reward money, or even about riding in the parade anymore – they plan to donate both. Instead, it’s about the thrill of finding it, doing both research and physical activities with her kids and getting to know more about the town.
“There are things I know about Savage that I didn’t know before,” Walter said. “Especially about Dan Patch.”
Understanding the riddles and knowing what words to look for in the clues helped lead the duo to the shoe. The key, they said, is to listen to your hunch, but also consider other places.
“You really have to start with an open mind,” Ann’s husband, Mark, said. “You can’t rule anywhere out.”
Mark didn’t help find the shoe because he was out of town and when Ann called to say she and Walter found it, but he was surprised.
“I was like, ‘huh? I thought you weren’t looking for it this year,’” he recalled. “I was surprised to hear her say she found it.”
So were others at the camp.
Ann said there was a group of other people standing around and it looked like they were preparing to head off into the woods to search for the shoe when she and Walter parked, went to the flag pole, the memorial plaque and finally a flood light on the ground and found the shoe wrapped in plastic snuggled in the mulch around the light.
“They looked at us and were like, ‘Did they just find the horseshoe? How’d they know?’” she said. “This one, to me, was pretty obvious.”
When she helped find the shoe other years, it wasn’t as easy.
“The first year was the hardest,” she said.
Degree of difficulty wasn’t the only difference.
This year was different from years past when they found the shoe because the Mirsch family worked solo. In 2005 and 2006, the Mirsch family formed a team with another family, the Bernicks. Julie Bernick is a member of the Dan Patch Days Board and after negative rumors, rules were made regarding the search for the horseshoe, including the exclusion of members of the Dan Patch Days board members and people winning in back-to-back years.
“It’s not the same anymore without the rest of our team,” Ann said. “I think we’ll retire after this year.”
She and Mark acknowledged the new rules, but also think they’re being true to the spirit of Dan Patch.
“Dan Patch was a winner, he was competitive, it’s just like that,” Mark said. “We work just as hard as anyone else to find it.”
He also added he thinks the family would be criticized no matter what they do, if they try too hard or don’t try. The two even waited until Tuesday when one of her son’s had an appointment to get his hair cut at Razor’s Edge to turn in the horseshoe, despite finding it early Saturday morning. (The shop is closed both Sunday and Monday.)
“It was like, ‘Oh! Wow, we’ve got the shoe again,’” Ann said.
Ann added she hopes their competitiveness motivates other groups to search as hard as they do.
2008 Clues
CLUE #1
The spirit’s uplifted by flowers left for me.
Jim, Jens, and George, stalwart loyal fans all three.
But I need my shoe – it’s not going there.
Exactly the spot, I can’t tell you where.
CLUE #2
Snapping banners in the breeze honor the fast.
You could see them from here a 100 years past.
Magnificent grounds, tourists come on a lark.
Take the next train for a visit to Antlers Park.
CLUE #3
Remember – public property, no digging involved.
Use your intelligence to get this solved.
1:55 & 442 , here I am close to my station,
Numbers that awed the American nation.
CLUE #4
If you’ve arrived at the spot just take a seat.
It’s straight ahead four paces from your feet.
When the light comes on you solved the task.
Glory and honor spawned here- all a nation could ask.
The spirit’s uplifted by flowers left for me.
Jim, Jens, and George, stalwart loyal fans all three.
But I need my shoe – it’s not going there.
Exactly the spot, I can’t tell you where.
CLUE #2
Snapping banners in the breeze honor the fast.
You could see them from here a 100 years past.
Magnificent grounds, tourists come on a lark.
Take the next train for a visit to Antlers Park.
CLUE #3
Remember – public property, no digging involved.
Use your intelligence to get this solved.
1:55 & 442 , here I am close to my station,
Numbers that awed the American nation.
CLUE #4
If you’ve arrived at the spot just take a seat.
It’s straight ahead four paces from your feet.
When the light comes on you solved the task.
Glory and honor spawned here- all a nation could ask.
Explanations of the Clues
Clue #1 gives you essentially nothing to base a search on with the exception that the hiding place could be near some flowers as indeed it was.
Clue #2 The banners refer to the flags on the Taj-Mahal which could be seen from the “spot” and in addition there is an American flag flying at the memorial for Camp Savage. The magnificent grounds refer to the International Stock Food Farm to which many tourists arrived at via the Dan Patch RR and could continue on for a holiday at Antlers Park.
Clue #3 is replete with information- enough to lead you to the shoe. Close to MY station would imply the Dan Patch RR station which is NOT the station in the Public Square. The DP RR station was just behind where The Windmill café is located near the memorial. Camp Savage was the site of the Japanese Language/Intelligence School during WWII . There where many more Japanese/Americans (loyal U.S. citizens all) eager to exit the concentration camps established around the country and join the Armed Services than were needed for intelligence assignments in the Pacific Theater hence many were assigned to combat units to fight in Europe. The most famous and glorious being the 442’nd Regiment. If you look at the casualty rolls as they fought up through Italy you will notice again and again that Camp Savage is listed as their basic training site.
Clue #4 This clue tells you what to do once you have arrived at the memorial . I hope you enjoyed the search and in addition learned something new about your city.
Clue #2 The banners refer to the flags on the Taj-Mahal which could be seen from the “spot” and in addition there is an American flag flying at the memorial for Camp Savage. The magnificent grounds refer to the International Stock Food Farm to which many tourists arrived at via the Dan Patch RR and could continue on for a holiday at Antlers Park.
Clue #3 is replete with information- enough to lead you to the shoe. Close to MY station would imply the Dan Patch RR station which is NOT the station in the Public Square. The DP RR station was just behind where The Windmill café is located near the memorial. Camp Savage was the site of the Japanese Language/Intelligence School during WWII . There where many more Japanese/Americans (loyal U.S. citizens all) eager to exit the concentration camps established around the country and join the Armed Services than were needed for intelligence assignments in the Pacific Theater hence many were assigned to combat units to fight in Europe. The most famous and glorious being the 442’nd Regiment. If you look at the casualty rolls as they fought up through Italy you will notice again and again that Camp Savage is listed as their basic training site.
Clue #4 This clue tells you what to do once you have arrived at the memorial . I hope you enjoyed the search and in addition learned something new about your city.