The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Art and geocaching are two of Theresa Wride's passions. So when she heard a call for local artists to submit designs for a Flin Flon-themed geocache coin, she dutifully answered. Now Wride's submission _ a creative blend of local scenery and landmarks _ adorns the 750 coins minted by the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce. 'I really enjoyed creating this coin, especially because our family geocaches as well,' she said. 'We've been doing it for years, and geocaching takes you to the neatest places, like off the beaten track kind of thing. So it's really neat and it's worldwide, and these coins will travel worldwide.' Wride was invited to Tuesday's chamber meeting to accept a token of the organization's appreciation _ two of the coins stored neatly in a velvet case. Addressing 15 guests at the meeting, held at the Friendship Centre Restaurant, chamber president Kory Eastman applauded Wride's creativity. 'One design did stand out as being representative of the entire area and it had some unique design elements,' he said, referring to her work. Eastman cited Wride's use of a compass design to encircle the coin and its invitation to 'come explore NORTH OF 54'. He also applauded the inclusion of the provincial flowers of Saskatchewan (the western red lily) and Manitoba (the prairie crocus). On hand for the meeting was Mayor George Fontaine, who was just as enthused about the coin. 'What a lovely job and you should be very proud,' he told Wride. 'And we're proud to have (the coins) representing our area.' See 'Nearly...' on pg. 3 Continued from pg.1 Eastman said the chamber has sold nearly 250 coins without any real marketing push. With about 500 left, he said they make great Christmas gifts. The coins are available at the chamber office above Pharmasave and several other locations. The coins are meant to be hidden outdoors, and then discovered, by hobbyists known as geocachers. The coins will be included in the 'caches' sought by geocachers. Their hobby has them use GPS receivers and other navigational techniques to locate treasures hidden under rocks, in trees and in other locations. The front of the coin bears an image of the Flintabattey Flonatin statue sandwiched between the provincial flowers of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Above Flinty and the flowers is the chamber's colourful logo. The outer ring of the design bears the names of Flin Flon, Creighton, Denare Beach and Cranberry Portage. The coin's flip side depicts an outdoor scene with a fish jumping out of a lake and a (smokeless) smoke stack and mining head frame in the background. The words 'come explore' appear at the top with 'NORTH OF 54' along the bottom. A compass design encircles the imagery. Engraved within a rock outcrop is a six-digit serial number, unique to each coin. Geocachers will use this number to identify the coin online. Wride, a renowned artist originally from Norway House, created the design. The Reminder was then tapped to alter the artwork, making it more coin-friendly and adding Flinty. The chamber got the idea for the coin from Manitoba's Interlake region, which has also produced a geocache coin to tout itself.
