5th annual Emerald City Search: It's time to pick apart the clues

Everyone has a lucky number. Maybe yours is 40.

To find out, head out onto the streets, sidewalks, parks and other public places of Seattle and start looking for the prize medallion in the fifth annual Emerald City Search.

In honor of the 40th year of Seattle's Bumbershoot festival, the lucky winner will collect a grand-prize package of 40 "Seattle art experiences" — a treasure trove of music, theater, dance, art, club admissions and other goodies worth more than $6,000 over the next year.

The first of 10 daily clues, appearing here, will help clever and enterprising searchers begin their quest to track down a prize medallion hidden in a public place in Seattle.

It's a "communitywide treasure hunt," said Jeff McCord of Playmasons LLC, which helps run the event. And it's the second year the search has been connected with Bumbershoot, Seattle's Music & Arts Festival, Sept. 4-6 at Seattle Center.

"Both Bumbershoot and Emerald City Search provide opportunities for Seattleites to explore and discover new and exciting elements of our city and are a natural fit together," said Mikhael Mei Williams of One Reel, the nonprofit producer of Bumbershoot.

This year's clues have a vaudevillian flavor, reflecting the entertainment theme of the search itself and the bounty that awaits the winner.

Among the prizes:

• Two Platinum Passes for admission to each day of Bumbershoot 2010 and two invitations to watch the main-stage artist of their choice from a side stage viewing area, valued at $900.

• A one-year KEXP 500 Club membership, which includes invitations for two guests to four VIP Club concerts, valued at $512.

• Two spots per month on the VIP guest list to events at Neumos, valued at $480.

• Two tickets to Teatro ZinZanni Seattle, along with two wine flights with dinner and ZinZanni memorabilia, valued at $350.

• Tickets and passes to events at many other venues, including Experience Music Project / Science Fiction Museum, The Showbox at the Market, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Symphony Orchestra and more.

Without revealing the prize medallion's size, shape or appearance, McCord said "a medallion is generally round in shape, but can be interpreted in the loosest of terms ... the object they find may not appear round at first."

This much McCord discloses: The medallion, created by a local artist, is on public property, and once discovered, can be detached or removed easily without having to dig or disturb anything other than the medallion and its method of disguise.

Clues will be published in the local news section of The Seattle Times, and online at seattletimes.com/living.

The search's website, emeraldcitysearch.com, also will carry the list of clues, along with search tips, a complete prize list, legal disclaimers and a link to a community online discussion about the search.

Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or jbroom@seattletimes.com