INTRODUCTION
This is an announcement—just in case you hadn't known—
That once again it's time to search the cities for our stone:
The Great Twin Cities Treasure Hunt will soon be under way;
Your quest begins on the fourteenth, so register today!

Team Stat outmaneuvered our last challenge, to be certain;
They found our Emerald city (and the man behind the curtain).
I'd imagine, soon enough, our paths will cross again—
After all, those two share quite the treasure hunting yen.

At any rate, our next adventure should be lots of fun;
And if, when all is settled, you discover that you've won,
You'll enjoy a greater payday if you've made a small donation,
So add your ten bucks to the pot—submit your registration!

CLUE #1
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to start the chase.
Remember to seek, but don't destroy, our secret hiding place.
Search no green or fairway; there's no diamond in the rough.
Comb no beaches, dig no holes; be wary of the bluff!

Another treasure puzzle we now get to un-unspool:
Trust your gut (and the clues, of course), and you'll be on the jewel;
And if you'd like to give your chances in this hunt a boost,
Consider just how long it's been since we were introduced.

CLUE #2
From anonymous to eponymous, his rise was apostolic,
Pseudonymous, autonomous, acronymous—symbolic.
We always admired the way he inspired an urge to run amok,
And look for the purple banana 'til they put us in the truck.

CLUE #3
Erogenous-synonymous, devoted semiotic;
Mononymous and bottomless, androgynous, erotic;
Diminutive, continuative, beguilingly satyric;
He had the knack and confidence to turn a cryptic lyric.

CLUE #4
I was dreaming when I wrote this; forgive me if it goes astray:
If you're thinking in big circles, you're already on your way;
'Round the loops and over—oops!—a tangled web we weave,
To keep our secrets 'neath our hat and hidden up our sleeve.

CLUE #5
Our paisley park is great for sports; it has no short supply
Of folks out jogging with their dogs, or cyclists zipping by.
Run, you should, to a field where wood and water fit between,
If you're gonna try to claim our little crimson love machine.

CLUE #6
Cut to the chase and run another route into the zone,
At the site of a purple legacy forever etched in stone—
Words engraved, enshrined and paved; dispense with the preamble—
Oddly, with his help you could avoid a frantic scramble.

CLUE #7
Dig if you will the picture of a nautical bandwagon,
Protected by a Norseman and a glaring purple dragon.
To find the glyph, just board the skiff—a legendary craft.
Our stone is waiting for you off the portside—windward, aft.

CLUE #8
Red, blue, orange, yellow, green—you'll need a purple line,
To hitch a ride across the town and find our mini-shrine.
Make a retreat down alphabet street (after you navigate);
Check it all out! Better look now or it just might be too late.

CLUE #9
Backed with the almighty and his picture on the jacket,
The Purple One is near a quiet place to raise a racket.
If you persist, the amethyst will soon be yours to claim,
So take that pumpkin pie to-go; we're entering endgame.

CLUE #10
Search before the dragon's gaze to navigate the site;
Double-check the map and snap a cell phone shot, you might,
But play it fair and leave it there, once you ascertain—
I only wanted to see you laughing in the purple rain.

CLUE #11
No need to worry, no need to cry; here's the penultimate clue.
Minneapolis, Minnesota—this one is 4 U!
Trace our vector to a sector, as the sparrow flies:
Dragon, poster, website, brick—purple banana, prize.

Beneath the leaves and twigs and branches nature cast aside,
And by the waters of Lake Minnetonka purified,
To make it final, grab the vinyl—it's still there, no foolin'—
So laugh out loud a little bit, and get to un-unspoolin'!

CLUE #12
Follow the path of the purple arrow, shimmering, aglow—
For a distance on a beeline of about four miles or so—
From our virtuoso maestoso's posthumous duet,
To the purifying waters of a laughing rivulet.

That ain't Lake Minnetonka (it never hurts to remind),
But search a spot where her waters flow from right to left, behind.
Keep in sight the flashing light—and the purple banana, too—
Our regal, love-symbolic jewel is waiting there for you.

From the stream it's just a hop, a skip, and then a jump;
Underneath some twigs and leaves—downhill from the bump—
Find the swag inside a bag—it's camouflaged and bound;
The jewel is near the branches reaching out to scrape the ground.