Brandon Realtor spies ornament hanging on westside fire hydrant

By: 
Jill Meier, Journal editor

Jill Meier/BV Journal 

Three members of the Gross family – Tristan, Michael and Jessica – went on the hunt for “Brandon’s Christmas Spirit” ornament.

 

Michael Gross is a husband, a father, a Realtor and coffeeshop owner. Now, he can add sleuth to his resume.

After deciphering three weeks of clues in the Brandon Valley Journal’s sixth annual “Finding Brandon’s Christmas Spirit” ornament hunt, Gross plucked the wooden reindeer ornament from a fire hydrant on the city’s westside positioned along Frontier Street last Wednesday afternoon.

Gross was gifted a “sleigh full” of goods in the prize package that was supplied by local merchants. Among his prize winnings are an electric toothbrush from Today’s Family Dentistry, hair products from Love That Look, hardwood floor cleaning kit and carpet cleaning solution from Family Floors & Furniture, free oil change and tire rotation and multiple car washes from Blaine’s, a basket of goods courtesy of the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce, a one-year subscription to the Brandon Valley Journal, coupons from Taco John’s, and gift cards galore from Tailgator’s, Expressway, Brandon Spirits, Papa Murphy’s, Oakridge Nursery, and Casey’s.

As always, the ornament for the sixth consecutive year was made by Splitrock Furniture and engraved by Monte’s Woodshop.

His wife, Jessica, and their son, Titan, had been on the hunt since the first clue was published.

“Titan and I went out every Wednesday. I’d pick him up at school after I got off work and we would go out and look,” she said.

Sharing her excitement for the hunt, Jessica kept Michael in the know.

“I told him it was a fire hydrant. I told him what part of town it was in. I knew, from the very first clue, what part of town it was in,” Jessica shared. “I watch a lot of crime shows. I know how to investigate.”

Jessica said she and Titan slowly drove by the fire hydrant numerous times in their multi-week hunts. Early on in their hunt, she told Titan that she didn’t think it would be on a fire hydrant.

But it was.

And of course, he was quick to remind his mom once his dad announced his big find.

Next year, Jessica said she’s staying mum to Michael on her inkling of where the ornament may be.

“I’ll be honest with you. I’ve never done it before. I’ve never looked at a clue before, but Ardell Johnson does, and she always told me about the clues,” Jessica said. “Then the last few months, I kept thinking about it. I don’t know why, but I knew it was coming up and I just said, ‘I’m going to win that this year,’ so I made sure and looked at all of the clues.”

Knowing his wife and son were on the hunt, Michael said it was his third time out searching that he hit the jackpot. 

“I went out and searched for maybe a half hour, hour. I did that twice and I didn’t find it. I walked past it probably about seven different times and never looked on that fire hydrant. I was thinking poles,” he said.

After week three clue was published, Jessica called him on her way to work telling him she was 100 percent sure the ornament was on a fire hydrant.

So, in the spirit of the hunt, he headed out a third time, stopping at every fire hydrant along Holly Boulevard from Sioux Boulevard west. 

“There was even a funeral (procession), and I’m on the side of the road as its going by, and so I’m waving, because I probably shouldn’t be parked on the side of the road, but I did have my flashers on. Then, I got all the way down past the (Heartland) funeral home to the sign, and then I was going to quit and started heading back into town but then decided to check the side street (Frontier Street),” he said, and that’s when he spied the wooden reindeer.

His first call was to his wife.

“I found it! I found it!” he announced.

He also called Ardell Johnson to let her know of his big find.

Michael said he wholeheartedly agrees that without Jessica’s input, he would not have even gone in search of the “Finding Brandon’s Christmas Spirit” ornament.

“But you called me so frustrated every single time that made me even more want to find it,” he told Jessica.

Her response: “I’m the brains behind the operation. He will just go do it so it looks like it’s his idea,” she said.

Despite the light-hearted jabs, Jessica said she had fun deciphering the clues and gaining some quality bonding time with Titan.”

 

 

Category:

The Brandon Valley Journal

 

The Brandon Valley Journal
1404 E. Cedar St.
Brandon, SD 57005
(605) 582-9999

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