You don’t have to know how to fish or hunt to get this year’s Wheat Festival medallion — but you will need a license.
    Hunting licenses are now required because Wheat Festival buttons aren’t numbered this year, said organizer Diana Page. When a button is purchased, two slips of paper ensure the chance to win two stellar prizes.
    A white slip will hold the chance for a vacation getaway package, including travel accommodations and $1,000 to help pay for travel costs — this year’s grand prize for the Wheat Festival.
    The lucky winner will be able to pick one travel destination from 16 different locations, including Orlando, Cancun and the Grand Canyon.
    J.P Buellesfeld donated the vacation package and 360 Wichita donated the $1,000. The winner will be picked on Monday, July 14.
    Finding the medallion won’t be a chance left to fate, but a prize won through hard labor and wits.
    Those who fill out the second larger slip, known as the hunting license, will be eligible for a $1,000 if they find the prized plastic piece of festival lore. If someone finds the medallion without having purchased a Wheat Festival button and filling out a hunting license, the prize drops considerably — to $500.
    “If you don’t want to go hunting, you don’t have to, but if you stumble on it you’re going to wish you filled out for the hunting license,” said Page.
    That’s exactly what happened in 2006, when a hunter happened upon the medallion near the Wellington water tower in a pile of garbage.
    “He wasn’t specifically looking for it...but he found it,” said Page.
    The hunt will begin this Monday, as the first clue is released by the Edward Jones office to all media outlets and to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce at 10 a.m. A new clue will be given every weekday at the same time through Friday, July 11, unless the medallion is found earlier.
    The finder of the medallion must present the coveted treasure to Page at the Edward Jones office no later than 4 p.m., Friday, July 11 to claim their prize.
    Last year, Wellington was in a stir looking for the medallion — though no one brought it in for the prize. Page says a Conway Springs man came close to it, though.
    “He was within three feet of it,” she said. “He was just at the wrong tree.”
    Page says there is no doubt in her mind the medallion will be found this year.
    “It will absolutely be found,” Page said. Though no early clues are given away, Page says super sleuths can give up on the medallion being  anywhere  at the Wellington Golf Course or at Prairie Lawn Cemetery. These areas are strictly off limits.
    There is also no digging involved as the medallion is always stored in plain sight. That doesn’t mean you won’t use your hands, she says, but it won’t require extensive manpower to find. Digging, sawing, or defacing public or private property is strictly prohibited.
    Never one to give away the mystery, Page offers words of advice for this year’s band of hunting hopefuls.
    “Follow the rules and have fun.” she said.
    Hunting licenses are due by Friday, June 27. For more information, call the Edward Jones office at 326-5927.