← Treasure Hunt Amusement Park
COWLAZARS | ON THE GROUND: KPRO + SAMLAZARS

SATURDAY · JUNE 20, 2026 · NEWTON FALLS, OHIO · FINAL EDITION

The Newton Falls GazetteHunt Week Special Edition — Live Dashboard

All the news that fits the hunt. Every event of the final stretch of the Newton Falls Treasure Hunt — from the Clue 9 drop on June 23 through Hunt Week itself (July 3–7) — counted down in real time, always correct no matter what time zone you read this from. KPro and Samlazars travel to Newton Falls July 3–7 to cover the festival, the LIVE Q&A with Tom, and the final 10th clue. Hosted by Cowlazars.

Newton Falls, OH — local time — — Eastern Time
Your local time — — —
⚑ NEXT UP

—

—days
:
—hours
:
—mins
:
—secs
—

The Schedule

All times in Newton Falls (ET) & your local zone. Filed by the desk, updated by the second.

Town Map & Locations

Official village limits, sourced from OpenStreetMap relation 182589. All 10 clues fall inside this boundary — anywhere outside is out of play.

Newton Falls village limits — all 10 clues fall inside this outline
1
Fieldview Acres Mercantile (“The Merc”) 36 W Broad St, Newton Falls, OH 44444 — Tom’s store, clue postings, meet hunters
2
The Five 4’s Distillery 417 N. Center St, Newton Falls, OH 44444
LIVE Q&A with Tom — Mon Jul 6, 7:00 PM ET. Meet, greet, raffle, share ideas. KPro & Samlazars on the ground.
3
Downtown Newton Falls — Parade Route July 3–4 — 4th of July Festival & Parade. Whole downtown is on the National Register.
4
Covered Bridge National Register. OHS Marker #11-78 at the entrance. Do NOT climb. Treasure is NOT here.

Clue Analysis

Latin source, English translation, ledger discipline, candidate landmarks, and the positional logic for each released clue. Tap any clue to expand.

Latin acrostic — first letters of each clue’s key noun: N A A M S A O → reads A MASON A — likely points to the downtown Masonic building.
01 Iron greets the traveler before wood Subtract / withhold
LatinQuod sequitur non affixum est, sed custodiae horarum commissum.
English“What follows is not fixed in place, but has been entrusted to the keeping of the hours.”
Ledger disciplineRead like a clerk balancing a scale. Count only marks that “earn space by trade.” Distinction is by position, not wording. Do not keep the whole — set aside as a debt (subtract, don’t sum).
Top candidates
  • Cast-iron bridge plaque or dedication marker preceding the Covered Bridge (1831 — iron sign before wood span)
  • Iron historical marker outside a Broad St. building before reaching a wooden-front shop
  • Cornerstone tablet on an 1880s bank with carved business ledger of tenants
Positional table
PosSourceOpNote
1Iron plaque listSUBWithhold the headline number; subtract it.
2List items below headlineADDCount items that “earn space by trade.”
V₁= (∑ items) − headlineKEEPCarry V₁ forward unspent.
Off-limits filterIron plaque on bridge approach is publicly accessible from sidewalk — passes. Eliminate “no entering water” interpretations toward the falls.
02 Two measures — west to east Bear / set second
LatinQuod sequitur ad locum usui perpetuo destinatum pertinet, postquam ipsa occasio exiit.
English“What follows concerns a place intended for continual use, after the occasion itself has passed.”
Ledger disciplineTwo measures cross the town. One is fixed/counted (a clock face). The other bears a burden W→E without touching doors or halls. Take the borne/load-bearing number and place it second.
Top candidates
  • Covered Bridge load/weight rating plaque (bears burden W→E across Mahoning)
  • Paired with the restored town clock face on the former bank (the still, counted face)
Positional table
PosSourceOpNote
1Town clock face (“abode”)IDXCounted face that never moved.
2Bridge load/weight plaqueADDBears its burden W→E.
V₂= [V₁, clock, bridge]PAIRBridge value goes second, behind the abode.
Off-limits filterBoth readable from sidewalk / road. Do not climb the bridge or the clock tower.
03 Hours were imposed upon it Reduce to certainty
LatinQuod sequitur ad spatium transeundum redit, nec amplius.
English“What follows returns to a space meant only to be passed through, and nothing more.”
Ledger disciplineIgnore the structure, what serves it, surrounds it, or addresses it. Look at what was “present before purpose, aligned without instruction, repeated without variation.” Take only what remains when likeness is reduced to certainty.
Top candidates
  • Newton Steel Co. site / former Akron Maderight Tire & Rubber Works — 24-hour shifts
  • Former P&O Canal corridor (1840) — a space meant only to be passed through
  • Repeated identical posts, bollards, or fence pickets along an old industrial siding
Positional table
PosSourceOpNote
1Aligned identical elementsIDXPosts/bollards/pickets in a row.
2Distinct elementsSUBDrop anything that breaks the pattern.
V₃= count of true identicalsKEEP“Sameness is the only measure.”
Off-limits filterRail right-of-way and active industrial parcels are off-limits. View from public crossings only.
04 Spoken of for what is said to linger Capture both bounds
LatinQuod sequitur manet ad spatium ultra necessitatem eorum quos olim comitabatur conservatum.
English“What follows remains in a space preserved beyond the need of those it once accompanied.”
Ledger disciplineIgnore rumor and the shelter that invites it. Find two notices placed nearby that assert (do not persuade). One has a bounded mark declaring a span — an opening and a closing date. Take both bounds as rendered; carry forward together.
Top candidates
  • Newton Falls Covered Bridge — NRHP 1974 + ODOT plaques, both dated spans
  • Newton Falls USO Center, 52 East Quarry St — “preserved beyond the need of those it once accompanied” fits WWII USO
  • Statue of Liberty replica with twin dedication plates
Positional table
PosSourceOpNote
1Opening datePAIRLeft endpoint of span.
2Closing datePAIRRight endpoint of span.
V₄= (open, close)KEEPCarry both bounds verbatim, do not subtract.
Off-limits filterAll plaques publicly readable. Do not enter bridge truss interior or USO outside posted hours.
05 The record above assigns no emphasis Read marks, not names
LatinQuod sequitur servatur ubi appellatio munus superat.
English“What follows is kept where the title outweighs the function.”
Ledger disciplineIgnore titles, honors, claimed causes. Marks are distinguished by form alone, not by names. Take the form symbols in order; carry forward unchanged. “What appears first is not greater, only earlier.”
Top candidates
  • Veterans/War memorial with branch insignia / KIA stars
  • Masonic building dedication roster (Worshipful Master, Senior Warden) — matches acrostic A MASON A
  • Mayor / Council honor board at Village Hall (charter 1968)
Positional table
PosSourceOpNote
1…nTrailing form symbol per nameIDXAsterisks, stars, post-nominals.
—Name stringsSUBDrop all name text.
V₅= ordered symbol sequenceKEEP“In the sequence established.”
Off-limits filterExterior plaques only. Masonic interior is off-limits to the public.
06 This ground was set to labor before pause Count identicals
LatinQuod sequitur ad signum spectat cuius status primum lapide rite posito firmatus est.
English“What follows concerns a marker whose standing was first secured by the proper setting of a stone.”
Ledger disciplineLook behind what claims attention. Find like forms equal in stature, aligned without task, maintained without function. Distinction removed, sameness is the measure.
Top candidates
  • P&O Canal towpath remnants behind a current building
  • Newton Steel / Maderight legacy foundation pillars behind newer construction
  • Identical memorial pillars/bollards behind the Statue of Liberty replica or USO
  • Matched cemetery markers for indistinguishable veterans/civilians
Positional table
PosSourceOpNote
1Cornerstone-laid markerIDXAnchor; “first stone properly set.”
2Matching forms behind itADDCount interchangeable twins.
V₆= count of true matchesKEEPOnly what cannot be told apart by sight counts.
Off-limits filterStay on public towpath; do not enter ruins. Cemetery (if used) — sidewalks/paths only, no moving stones.
07 Determined by release Count round / below notice
LatinNihil aliud proferas. Quod sequitur ordini sine signo subicitur.
English“Bring forth nothing else. What follows is subjected to an order without a sign.”
Ledger disciplineStability secured only by measure, applied below the point of notice, fixed in sequence. Only one surface admits resolution. Meaning collapses into number.
Top candidates
  • Iron rivets along the lower belt of the Covered Bridge truss approach (do not climb)
  • Manhole / utility cover studs in front of the historic-district sign
  • Statue of Liberty replica pedestal cornerstone-anchor bolts
  • Lower bolts of the historic-district boundary signs themselves
Positional table
PosSourceOpNote
1Round elements below eye-lineIDXRivets, bolts, dots, holes.
2Anything marked or labeledSUBDrop — only unsigned order counts.
V₇= total countKEEP“All made round removes meaning.”
Off-limits filterAnything requiring a climb or touch — eliminated. Anchor counts done from public ground.
08 14-letter confirmer string Confirmers, not cipher
StringE · A · I · L · I · F · B · O · Y · I · G · S · E · O
Reading14 letters = 2 confirmers per prior clue (Clues 1–7 × 2 = 14). These are not a cipher; they confirm whether each extracted Vᵢ is correct.
How to useWhen you produce each Vᵢ, the matching pair (positions 2i−1, 2i) should appear as initials, mark labels, or trailing characters on the candidate landmark. Mismatch → candidate is wrong.
09 Awaiting release — Tue Jun 23, 12:00 PM ET Combiner instructions
StatusLocked. Drops Tuesday June 23, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET on the Fieldview Acres Mercantile Facebook page.
Expected roleLikely the combiner that joins V₁…V₇ into the final location (lat/long, address, or padlock code per the four hypothesis models).
Pre-bakeAll seven extraction values should be locked by drop time so the combiner can be applied instantly.
10 Awaiting release — Tue Jul 7, 12:00 PM ET Final clue
StatusLocked. Final clue drops Tuesday July 7, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET — the day after the LIVE Q&A with Tom at Five 4’s.
Expected roleResolves the final location pointer. KPro & Samlazars will be on the ground for the drop.
Op legend: ADDuse the value SUBsubtract / withhold KEEPcarry forward unchanged IDXposition index PAIRtwo-endpoint span

Channels & The Press

STC 2027 Tom is confirmed for Seeking Treasure Con 2027 seekingtreasurecon.com — 10th Anniversary, Las Vegas PRIMARY SOURCE Fieldview Acres Mercantile Tom’s Facebook — clues drop here first, pinned posts, official rules VIDEO Newton Falls Treasure on YouTube Official channel — every clue video archived COMMUNITY Newton Falls Treasure Hunt Group Hunter discussion, theories, coordination MAP Newton Falls Interactive Map Official town map — open in full screen PRESS — WFMJ Treasure grows to $36,000+ Latest WFMJ update on prize size PRESS — WFMJ Host to document participation WFMJ — attendance and visitor tracking PRESS — LOCAL Weekly Villager — Hunt update Local community paper coverage
Newton Falls Treasure Hunt Week official graphic — Cowlazars, KPro & Samlazars

Cut, printed, and pinned. Official Hunt Week graphic — Cowlazars × KPro × Samlazars.