It started this winter with a man at home with his family one evening, scrolling. He came across a tik-tok video about a million-dollar treasure. He sat up and said, “I can do that!” His wife said, “What are you thinking?!” It turned into the biggest thing that hit Newton Falls in quite some time! And at approximately 2:30 Thursday, July 9, it finally came to an end.
Tom Colisimo, owner of Fieldview Acres Mercantile and co-owner of Split River Social on Broad Street, loves Newton Falls. He has been very active in making it a destination location. From the local commerce association to a newly sworn-in member of the local government, helping businesses as well as promoting his own, he is known for his easy-going demeanor and go-getting attitude. When he saw that video, he knew he had to bring something like that to his beloved town. Thinking about how it potentially could increase foot traffic, boost sales and put Newton Falls on the map, he dedicated the next few months to it.
He didn’t give himself much time to pull it together, just a month. Initially, he put his own donation in it, and it grew from there. The list of sponsors is long, available on Tom’s Facebook page. He ironically admits to being clueless about what he was getting into, but that didn’t stop him! Clues were based on the history of the town and much of the information could be gleaned from the Adreanne Foos book, Images of America-Newton Falls. Local photographer, Kropp, helped with the videos. Press was invited for the release of the first clue, on Tuesday, March 3, at noon. A new clue dropped on his Facebook page, every second Tuesday until July 7.
By May, the hunt became a national phenomenon. Digital creator, Kpro, host of Seeking Treasure Con, came into town to help Tom promote it. Together, they hosted a Meet and Greet that included a children’s treasure hunt, a scavenger hunt throughout the town, and a discussion group. (Unfortunately, Mother Nature was cranky…some plans didn’t come to fruition.) Treasure Hunt T-shirts became a local fashion. True to the original mission, Tom made sure to have these made by local merchants.
Though not a participant in the hunt, I liked to pop into the Merc on occasion to get an update. Many Treasure Seekers were happy to share their experiences with me. Laurel and treasure hunting partner Jamie introduced this reporter to KPro, and shared some of their methodologies. Many seekers used the app Discourse, which allowed them to connect with seekers around the world. They used it to form a partnership with April and called themselves the Golden Girls. They shared that it was necessary to have people with different strengths and outlooks, as it gives the team a wider perspective.
Following each clue drop, seekers who were in town would meet at Mi Amigo’s for discussion. It became a community within a community. Everyone was happy to share some information, their frustrations, and some of their strategies. Not too much strategy…they were cooperative yet competitive. After all, by now the treasure had been increasing daily, thanks to the many sponsors. Special thanks to Sarchione Garrettsville-donating $50.00 for every new car sold.
A formal(ish) Q and A session was held on Monday at the Five Four’s Distillery. KPro was on hand and live-streamed it for her You Tube channel.
Ethel was invited to the discussion group at Mi Amigo on July 7. Hmmm, insider information (hah!) yummy food and Margaritas? In the interest of factual reporting, this seemed to be a must-go. Everyone was a little nervous, all their hard work was coming to a climax, one way or the other. Some of the Golden Girls were there, KPro and her daughter who just now was getting treasure fever, Tim from Cortland, Levie from Lordstown, AJ from West Virginia, Frank from South Carolina. All there for the last time. After a basket of chips and salsa, maybe a sip or two from a margarita, in walks T-Money, a gentleman from Raleigh, NC. Everyone seemed to know T-Money…I thought it was just because he had been in town for about 9 days.
Treasure Fever was high in town this week. People were there from all over the state and much of the country. Familiar faces from the Meet and Greet were standing outside of the Merc’ window, anxiously awaiting that last clue! At precisely 12:00pm on July 7, Tom taped the last clue to the window. All four pages of the clue. The crowd milled about a little while digesting the latest clue, then quickly dispersed. They had some serious thinking and strategizing to do.
That should hold them for a while, after all it was 4 pages. Maybe we could relax after all of the tension of the week. Well….
At 2:25 on Thursday, Tom had a winner. None other than T-Money. Tom sent out a press release to Weekly Villager, The Vindicator, Channel 21 and Fox. Apparently, T-Money deserves the name, as this is the third treasure he has found.
Together with his wife Jennifer, T-Money, aka Trevor Debth, previously found a treasure for $6,000 in West Virginia, and a treasure in Georgia for $200,000. (Eat your heart out, Nicholas Cage!) This is a family affair; Jennifer and Trevor always include their three children, together called the Dream Team.
The key to the treasure and the note had been on Tom the whole time of the hunt. The clues had been arranged in such a way that the participants explored the town. The last clue was 2 parts; assembling co-ordinates which brought them behind the Merc. The second part of the clue gave a pattern of the wrought iron fence on the back of the store. Then he had to deliver every single token from all of the clues leading up to that information. The key, which had been around Tom’s neck since March 3, was surrendered and opened the box to reveal gold coins, thousands in cash, jewelry, worth $37,650 — plus or minus the worth of the gold. The Debth family was on their way to visit family in Iowa but happy to make this worthy detour.
T-Money has documented the hunt, and it is available on YouTube. He has kindly posted it on the Merc’s Facebook page. They can travel at length because they have their own blog, Showmetheyummy.com which enables them to work from the road. Jennifer creates and shares healthy recipes.
Paul McEwen from Sarchione Chevrolet in Garrettsville joined the gathering to present a check for $5,900, to go with the gold coin that helped to start it all.
Jennifer and Trevor were very complimentary of Newton Falls. They loved exploring the town, going to the festivities that occurred over the holiday, eating at the local restaurants and enjoying the many parks.
Now that this chapter is concluded, Tom has plans for next year-after getting a good night’s sleep. He had been working at the store for many, many extra hours and could use a break. He is writing a book about the experience, The Treasure Is Not the Treasure, to be published by the Weekly Villager. Tom, Paul and KPro are already planning the next hunt. Likely to be bigger, now that they have more experience. In his book, The Treasure Is Not the Treasure, it becomes clear…the true treasure is the town!
