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to the Holiday Point Association Website! NEWS FLASH! A mysterious bottle was found on Holiday Point Beach by Julia M. on the morning of August 9th. It was clearly very old and sealed with wax topped off by an unusual and old Portugese coin. Julia gathered a large group of HP kids to help her open the bottle and examine its contents. What they found was TRULY AMAZING! There were two strange stones marked with an H and a P and a note which described in detail the meaning of the stones and the fact that the finder should locate the Head of H/P and seek out the file on Jimmy Brady. 
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Events -
Calendar ........
Latest News -
Newsletter After an exhaustive search of the beach and the surrounding area, the kids determined that the note was telling them to go to the person who is the head of the Holiday Point Association and ask him to let them see the Jimmy Brady file. They waited for what seemed to be forever for Ed H. (our fearless leader) to arrive at the beach, so that they could interrogate him about the file in question, but to no avail! Ed wasn't sure if such a file exists, but promised to search for it overnight to determine if it exists and whether or not he could share it's contents with the finders of the mysterious bottle..... that was day one, and then ..... |
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DAY TWO! Day two began with a meeting with the Head (President) of Holiday Point, Ed H. He said he looked around last night to see if he had any kind of a file on Jimmy Brady, but couldn't find anything. But, he was willing to have the kids come with him to his house to help look around. As they searched for a second time through the very old archive files from Holiday Point, Kyle pointed out an old file folder stuck in the very back part of the file cabinet, and, amazingly enough - it was labeled JIMMY BRADY! Excitement broke out as the folder was opened and it was discovered to contain Jimmy Brady's last will and testament along with two mysterious envelopes! Who would have known that the old files would contain someone's will? Who would have known that it would be the very same person who apparantly hid a bottle with a message in the sand at the beach, only to be found more than 75 years after it was buried????  
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 But sure enough, there it was... and it described how Jimmy Brady wanted to share his legacy with the children of Holiday Point and their friends, but only if they were willing to work together as a team and share whatever they found as they work their way through the clues that might reveal what Jimmy Brady had left behind.... After deliberation by the only two HP board members present, it was agreed that each child would have to sign a Blood Oath to work together and share the rewards of their quest - to uncover the legacy that Jimmy Brady has left behind. The will also described how Jimmy had worked with a gentleman named Lewis who was involved in the construction of Candlewood Lake, and that the children should study the pictures that were taken by Lewis that might still exist, in order to find out more about where Jimmy Brady's legacy is hidden! The children tried hard to understand this clue when one of them remembered that Lewis was the name on an old map of Holiday Point, and then Mrs. Q. remembered that Lewis was the last name of Nicholas and Matthew H's great grandfather!!!! 
and that was day two, and then..... |
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DAY THREE! It took her quite a while to find some, but Laura H. looked through the old documents in both her Holiday Point and Waterbury homes and found a lof of pictures that related to the construction of Candlewood Lake, Holiday Point and J.S. Lewis. The pictures were very interesting and very old and everyone had a great time looking at them, but unfortunately none seemed to give any indication or information about Jimmy Brady or his hidden treasure. But then..... from a different envelope.... she revealed an old portrait photo that no one had seen before! It was a portrait of Jimmy Brady himself!. And more important, there was a message written on the back in his own handwriting!! It said: On the throne down by the sea With room for two, like you and me Where posteriors set below By the ring begin to go The point is points and point they do To show the path for me and you Like arrows that are hard to see They’ll lead you to a clue from me! Very strange indeed! What was it that Jimmy was trying to tell us? Well... our young adventurers are very smart and they figured out that it must have something to do with the HP Bench on the point and sure enough, they found indian arrow heads pointing the way to a hole in a tree! There inside, Kyle W. found an old metal box that looked like trash, but when Kimmy opened it - it contained another message!!!! It was getting so exciting that even the adults were captivated by the mystery that surrounds the legacy of Jimmy Brady... The new message from inside the old metal box was just as strange as the previous one... Towers two each stands alone They hold the water for your home And the one that stands on the highest peak Is where you’ll find what you now seek I’ll point the way if you’ll only look In every cranny and every nook The point of it all is that you’ll see A clue in a box for you from me     |
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   But, which one is on the highest peak, and how could they figure that out? Al B. offerred some help by explaining that the water towers themselves have to be at exactly the same height in order to keep one from causing the other to overflow. The challenge was to figure how this could explain which one was on the tallest peak. After lots of discussion and an inspection of both towers, the kids concluded that the shortest tower must be on the highest peak - and that was the north tower on Sunrise Pass. Everyone gathered in cars and drove up to the tower to look for clues - a box hidden in a nook or cranney - with something pointing the way - - maybe more arrowheads! It only took a few minutes for someone to spot an ornately carved wooden box! It seemed awfully heavy for it's size. Suddenly there were concerns. Could the box be booby trapped? Would Jimmy Brady try to protect his secrets from robbers? It was decided that it would be best to take the box unopened back to the beach where it could be inspected and opened by a responsible adult, Ed H. Back at the beach, the tension was growing as everyone admired the workmanship on the box and wondered about why it was so heavy. They all gathered around the big picnic table and Ed sloooooowwwwly opened it. A look of shock and surprise came over his face. But it was not because the box was booby trapped - - it was because the box was full of money!!!!! Coins and paper money from all over the world, Belguim, South Africa, Poland, Germany, Nicaragua, it was AMAZING!! The stories said that Jimmy Brady had traveled all over the world, and here was proof! He had hidden money from all the places he had visited in the box by the water tower.... EVEN MORE AMAZING... There was another message !!! AND..... THERE WAS WHAT LOOKED LIKE A PART OF A MAP WITH THE FOLLOWING CLUE!!! It’s been a long journey To get to this point Pretty soon you will have pieces four  and that was day three, and then..... |
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DAY FOUR! When we left our intrepid adventurers, they had just found the ornately carved box full of money and also containing a part of a map and a compass, as well as a new message which read: 41 degrees 34.25 minutes north by 73 degrees 29.51 minutes west At Allen’s Camp down by the shore At the coordinates written before That’s where you will find If you don’t search in vain The place where they measure The wind and the rain Then standing right there at that very spot Look over the water at an HP home lot Use you new compass it’s really quite great Aim east of north 50 points, then plus 8 Across the bay about 400 feet Where a fence meets the water Down close by your feet It’s there where you’ll find What you seek, it will be In a hole in a rock in a hole in a tree! The kids checked every coin and bill to see if there were any other clues, but it seemed that the only clue was the one above. The money must have been part of Jimmy Brady's Treasure! Holly Q. said that she found mention of Allen's Camp in a book about the construction of Candlewood Lake which said the site is now where Sherman Town Park is located. Then Steve D. brought out an old map that showed the area in Sherman around Holiday Point, and sure enough, there is was! - Camp Allen - just across the cove from Holiday Point - right where the book said it would be! Al B. borrowed a GPS receiver to check the map coordinates using the global positioning system and everyone clamored into cars to drive to the site the see if they could find what everyone thought should be a weather station. Sure enough... when they all got there, the GPS receiver confirmed that this was the spot. Then with Al B.'s help the kids oriented the compass to the coordinates specified, 58 degrees east of north. To everyone's astonishment, there it was, a fence that runs down to the water, at the property line between two homes on Holiday Point! Everyone piled back into the cars and after calling ahead for permission went over to David and Jane W's. house to search for the mysterious HOLE IN A ROCK IN A HOLE IN A TREE. The kids spread out along the fence looking for evidence of what the clue was saying, and AMAZING AS IT SOUNDS - THERE IT WAS! Holly Q. found it exactly as described, inside a hole in a tree was a rock with a hole in it and there was stuff inside the rock!!!!    |
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   Back at the beach, each kid tried in vain to break open the rock. Several kids noticed that the rock (which was hollow) appeared to be filled with crystals - it was a GEODE!. Except for a very small piece broken off by Kyle, not one kid, not even the adults could pry open the rock. Then they asked Bill M. to bring his tools over and break the rock open. Trying as hard as he could, without risking damaging the contents, and after quite a lot of effort Bill managed to increase the size of the hole so that the contents could be removed. What was found was puzzling and interesting, strange and wonderful. It appeared to be some sort of game with strange coins and a top with markings. There were also two notes. The first one seemed to be the rules for how to play the game. Each of the markings on the top required that the player either put a coin in the pot or remove one, and if the player ran out of coins, they had to pass the top to the next person. The second note was far more significant though.... It read as follows: Not far away is a Wunder-ful place Where Terry and the Pirates were made If you visit the people who now fill that space They’ll tell of George Wunder Whose memory won’t fade And look for the portrait on the wall of the house Is it George or the pirate he drew Look very closely and you just might find A very important new clue… Arrrggggg! Who is George Wunder? And, Where does he live? Bill M. said, "I know!." George Wunder was the man who created the comic strip Terry and the Pirates and he used to live on Oak Drive. Someone shouted, "That's where we just found the Hole In The Rock In The Hole In The Tree!!!!" Could we really have been that close to the next clue??? YES! But George doesn't live there any more, he passed away some years ago. So who lives there now? And, what do they know about George Wunder and a portrait that was on his wall when he lived there???? AND WHAT COULD BE A VERY IMPORTANT NEW CLUE AND HOW IS IT RELATED TO A PICTURE FROM SO LONG AGO??????? and that was day four, and then..... |
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DAY FIVE! Day five..... a Saturday..... it all began with lots of kids, more than on any other day of the treasure hunt. Did they somehow sense that this was going to be an important day? Guess we'll never know, but beginning at 1:30 the adult members of the team, Bernie Q. and Al B. got everyone together (the kids and many of their parents) to once again go over the events of the last four days and review all of what was found so far - looking for any clues that might have been missed.... Then Roseann D. then took over and the hunt was on, once again! At the end of the previous day, Bill M. had told the kids that he knew who George Wunder was and that the creator of the comic strip Terry and the Pirates actually had been a Holiday Point resident. Everyone agreed that our team of adventurers should visit the house and get permission from the current owners, Phyllis and Len S. to look around to see if there was a chance that the portrait mentioned in the clue might still be there - somewhere. At the old Wunder house, Phyllis S. told stories about George Wunder and his illustrious career as a comic strip writer. She seemed to know a lot about him and it was clear that the memory of George Wunder was still very much a part of the house and the lives of those who now live in it - - just like the clue suggested! Then Courtney and Holly noticed a framed pen and ink drawing on the wall, of a dashing comic strip character who must have been Terry, or was it actually a self portrait of George himself? Phyllis said that it was a mystery that was never quite resolved, whether or not George had used his own likeness as a young man to create Terry the comic strip hero. The kids asked permission to take the picture off the wall - a significant request because the picture had not been moved or touched for many years. Then, to everyone's surprise, there was a message hanging on the same nail that held the picture! No one could believe their good fortune, particularly Phyllis and Len, who agreed to let the kids keep the message as long as if it resulted in the discovery of riches that they too would receive a share of the loot. The message contained a beautiful coin like no one had ever seen before! And, it also contained another torn piece of a map! Was this the second piece of four that was described on the first piece of a map that was found on day three???? Everyone was getting so excited that you could feel the tension in the air - or was that just the heat and humidity of a dog day afternoon under the August sun. Nooo, it was definitely the excitement and tension in the air! And, on top of everything else, there was another clue!!!!. The kids all gathered around and sat on the floor in the living room, surrounded by the memories of George Wunder, while Courtney read the clue to the others. It was hard to imagine that our intrepid adventurers could have such good luck in understanding the messages and clues that Jimmy Brady had set up to help them find his treasure - but luck they did have, and skill, and bravery, and the benefit of working hard as a team. Everything seemed to be falling into place.... everyone was getting to the point where they believed that they were getting closer to the prize they sought!!       The latest clue seemed to be harder than the others and took a bit of thinkng on the part of our adventurers. It read as follows: Now there is a house apart from all others You must look both ways to go see There’s diamonds in there There have been for years So many you wouldn’t believe In old times before there was water to flush To poop or to pee was not fun In a building yet smaller than the one you just left With a door and a seat for just one That building no longer stands near the house But its memory and history survive If you find where it was and look closely around You might find that for which you now strive The lingering piece to the puzzle is there The map that will show you a clue But don’t think I’ll simply give you the prize The answer’s more pressing to view! Many of the kids read the part about pooping and peeing and immediately assumed that the clue must be referring to the porta-potties at the beach. Some even wanted to look underneath them. Fortunately, cool heads prevailed, and after a closer review of the whole clue, it was realized that first, the porta-potties were too new to have been around when Jimmy Brady was hiding his treasure, and the other information in the clue simply didn't fit. Yes, our group of adventurers was truly becoming a group of seasoned treasure hunters! As a result, a lot of discussion ensued. Questions about why would you have to cross the road to visit this house and what did it mean that there was a house apart from all others. Then Kyle W. came up with an answer! He made a critical connection and realized that a prominent community member, Mr. Diamond has lived near Holiday Point his whole life... ...AND HIS HOUSE IS ACROSS HOLIDAY POINT ROAD - APART FROM ALL OF THE OTHER HOLIDAY POINT HOUSES!!!! COULD IT BE TRUE???? DID MR. DIAMONDS HOUSE HAVE AN OUT-HOUSE AT ONE TIME???? The excitement grew even greater as the kids ran to the area out on the point where Steve and Charlotte D. were relaxing and enjoying the day. After a detailed review of the clue, Steve told the team that the facts were amazingly close and his house did indeed have an old out-house before they had inside plumbing, the only difference being that theirs was a 'two seater'. He also agreed to let the kids come to his house to check it out and look for whatever the mysterious clue held for them. Would there be another piece of the map??? Would there be another clue??? WOULD THERE BE MORE TREASURES??????????? Once again, it was off to the cars and on to the Steve D.'s house. He met everyone there and described the old out-house and even showed them the old door that they had saved when it was finally torn down. And, the door had a diamond carved in it, instead of the usual cresent moon that most out-houses have. Steve then showed the kids where the out-house had been located and they all immediately began to search thea area in hope of finding something that might have been left by Jimmy Brady. And then... THERE IT WAS!!! Matt P. spotted something in a space in the stone wall that would have been right next to the out-house's location. IT WAS A SMALL METAL SCREW-TOP CAN!!! And a strange can it was! It had a very old label on it which implied that it was a container for SNUFF TOBACCO. Most of the kids didn't even know what that meant, but Ed H. who had arrived shortly before, and still wearing his CLA Lake Patrol Officer's uniform, explained what snuff was. He expressed concern about the kids opening such a container and so he agreed that he would take the risk of opening the mysterious container. No one even knew if this was the prize they sought. It was a very small container and why would Jimmy Brady leave a bunch of kids a container of snuff tobacco??? Ed opened the can verrrryyyyy slooooowwwwly. It smelled pretty bad!! And, there was something in it!! Some thought it was a worm or a piece of cloth. Ed pulled out whatever it was verrrryyyyyy slooooowwwly. Then.... there was a gasp from the crowd!!! It was a fine cloth bag full of BEAUTIFUL GEMSTONES!!! They looked like EMERALDS AND RUBIES AND AMETHISTS and more!!!! Cara shrieked!!! Julia jumped for joy!!! Everyone was so excited they almost missed that fact that there was MORE.... THE FOURTH PIECE OF THE MAP!!!!            |
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     It’s been a long journey To get to this point Pretty soon you will have pieces four Of the map that will lead you To my treasure well hid You must search really hard just once more No one was quite sure what that meant, but it was agreed that the other two pieces of the map would have to be found in order to fully understand both the message of the map and the place that the map was encouraging everyone to go to. The latest clue which was also hidden behind the portrait was as strange and mysterious as the others as well. It read: Next you must go to HP’s smallest house Although tiny it’s still held quite dear Cause although it’s too small to live or sleep in It’s the source of refreshment for all who live here Visit the man who possesses the key And ask real nice for a look For if he agrees to let you inside You might find a prize on a shelf or a nook It didn't take more than a couple of minutes for our adventurers to figure out that the smallest house in Holiday Point is the pump house where the well head for the community's water supply is located. The clue matched up perfectly! It's a VERY small house, and no one could live or sleep in it, and indeed it is the source of refreshment for all those who live in the community. Now the only problem was to find out who had the key????? Everyone was asking around to see if anyone knew how to open the door to the pump house and after what seem to be a VERY LONG TIME, old Bill M. admitted that he knew a way to open the door to let us inside. Then it was off to the cars and a mad dash down Holiday Point Road to arrive at the pump house. Sure enough, it is a VERY small house, and Bill M. was true to his word, he found a key and opened the door! Since the house was too small to fit more than three kids at a time, it was agreed that our adventurers would search the house from bottom to top, starting with the shortest kids first, looking down low - to the tallest kids last, looking up high. Several kids hinted that they saw something suspicious high up on a shelf, way out of reach. Then the last pair, Eva and Courtney were tall enough to reach up and pull down a small brown box, covered with dirt and dust!!! We decided that it would be best to return to the beach because of concerns that the box might be booby trapped and the fact that we were all standing around on a main road and it wasn't very safe. So, back into the cars we all went and reconvened at the beach where Roseann D. carefully and sloooowwwwly opened the box. At first there appeared to be folded pieces of paper, perhaps another clue . . of maybe even another piece of the map! No one could have anticipated what was really there!! - DIAMONDS!! LOT'S AND LOT'S OF LITTLE DIAMONDS!!!!! The whole crowd gasped in excitement over the latest find! Beatuiful, crystal clear stones!!! Could they really be REAL DIAMONDS???? No one could tell for sure.... .... but they certainly looked real!!!! The kids were finally realizing that this treasure hunt was serious business!!! AND... if that wasn't enough... There was indeed, another piece of the map! With another piece of the message that was on the other two pieces. The message of the map was becoming clearer, it now read: It’s been a long journey To get to this point Pretty soon you will have pieces four Of the map that will lead you To my treasure well hid You must search really hard just once more The X that you see Marks the spot where you found The bottle that started you out AND... NOT ONLY THAT... BUT THERE WAS ANOTHER CLUE!!! Could this day be the most exciting day in the history of the world, or what????        Yes.... there it was... the puzzle was complete! The kids rushed back to the beach to try and decipher just what the map was and where the treasure that all hoped it led to could be! Putting the four pieces together wasn't that difficult and the message on the map was now in full view: It’s been a long journey To get to this point Pretty soon you will have pieces four Of the map that will lead you To my treasure well hid You must search really hard just once more The X that you see Marks the spot where you found The bottle that started you out But only the clever can Iron out the details That reveal what this hunt’s all about The map had one X on it which the clue seemed to indicate was the location where the bottle was first found. But how could that help to locate any hidden treasure??? Kyle W. and Michael P. suggested that there must be another hidden message in invisible ink!!!!. Not everyone agreed, but Cara said she had seen a similar situation in the movie National Treasure, and the boys were insistent, saying that the statement in the clue to iron out the details confirmed their suspicions. So Kyle borrowed his mom's iron and the group reconvened around the shelf where the power supply is located at the beach. Roseann agreed to do the ironing and took the first section of the map. IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!!! A HIDDEN MESSAGE BEGAN TO APPEAR!!!!. THE TREASURE YOU SEEK AN X MARKS THE SPOT Then she ironed the second section of the map.... A FOOT FROM THE DATUM SOUTHWEST DIG A LOT The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife!!! What did it mean???? What is a DATUM???? The third section of the map was ironed and nothing new was revealed. The kids were getting nervous. Here was the map and it had a secret clue, but it just didn't make sense. The only X on the map was where the bottle had been found!!! Then Roseann ironed the last piece of the map. At first nothing seemed to appear. And then... THERE IT WAS!!! AN X - AS PLAIN AS DAY - RIGHT THERE, BUT WHERE WAS THERE?????? They all gathered around the table with Al B. to plan a search strategy. We definitely didn't want to get into trouble for digging up the whole community beach. There had to be a more precise way to locate the treasure. Al and the kids studied the map. Ed explained that a Datum is a survey marker ususally made from concrete to mark property lines and boundaries. Kyle said he had seen them before! We traced the lines on the map and compared where the bottle was found with the X that marked that spot. Everyone then realized that the hidden X was VERY CLOSE BY!! It appeared to be right on the line between the community beach and Kyle's grandparent's, Herb and Fern's property!! The kids took off, looking for the Datum.... AND THEY FOUND IT!!! Carefully measuring about one foot to the southwest, they began digging and after about 10 minutes.... THEY STRUCK SOMETHING SOLID SOMETHING NOT NATURAL IT WAS A BURIED CHEST!!!. You could hear the kids screaming and cheering a mile away!! THEY HAD FOUND JIMMY BRADY'S TREASURE CHEST!!! But it was LOCKED!!!! Each kid took a turn at the combination. There were two wheels so there couldn't be more than 100 possibilities. Each kid tried 10 numbers. The tension, the excitement, the urgency, the need to go to the bathroom!!!! AND THEN, AT NUMBER 73, JULIA Q. OPENED THE LOCK!!!! Everyone got so excited you couldn't even think! These were no longer kids. They were seasoned treasure hunters about to discover the greatest treasure ever found!! They only needed to open the chest!!!!! AND WHEN IT WAS OPENED.... SLOOOOOWWWWWLY.... THEY FOUND...... A BRICK?!?!?!?!?!!! BUT WAIT!! SOMETHING ELSE!!! A BAG FULL OF WHAT LOOKED LIKE LARGE DIAMONDS!!!! AND ANOTHER MESSAGE!!!!!!! The message read: Dear Children of Holiday Point Congratulations! You have reached the end of the Treasure Hunt! I know that this brick is not a bar of gold, but I hope that this Treasure Hunt brings you riches far more important than gold: - Good Holiday Point friends for life - An appreciation of this beautiful beach and its view I hope you find all the riches you seek in your life! Everlasting Best Wishes, James B. Brady and that's the way it was... on a hot and humid day in August... On Holiday Point! Yes, the great mystery of Jimmy Brady's Treasure and the Bottle in the Sand is over... or is it????? |
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