DuPage forest contest winners claim their prizes

It looked like Christmas in July at the DuPage County Forest Preserve District headquarters in Wheaton.

But instead of presents, the bicycles, running shoes and bike helmets inside the board room were prizes for the winners of the district's Centennial Medallion Search.

The medallion contest conducted last month helped celebrate the district's 100th anniversary. As part of the contest, residents used clues that appeared in the print and online versions of the Daily Herald to find six medallions hidden at district sites around the county.

On Tuesday, July 7, four of the six contest winners - Francesca Becker of Lombard, Brianna Pecora of Carol Stream, Michael Mast of Villa Park and Mike Swaney of Downers Grove - attended a forest preserve commission meeting to claim their prizes.

"I just want to congratulate you and everything that you guys have done in the last 100 years," Becker said to commissioners during the ceremony.

Becker and Swaney won bike packages that each include one adult and one child bike and two helmets. Their medallions were hidden at York Woods near Oak Brook and Waterfall Glen near Darien.

Pecora and Mast each received running packages that include a pair of running shoes and insoles. They found their medallions at McDowell Grove near Naperville and Churchill Woods near Glen Ellyn.

Meanwhile, Peter Geldes of St. Charles won $2,500 cash for finding the grand prize on Wednesday, June 10, at Mallard Lake Forest Preserve near Hanover Park.

Sarah Stout of Carpentersville won a fly fishing package that includes a one-hour casting clinic for two and an assortment of lures. She located her medallion at Wood Dale Grove near Wood Dale.

Forest preserve President Joseph Cantore said the contest was a success.

"This is a program that got a lot of people involved and excited about our forest preserves, and maybe got them into forest preserves they didn't know about," Cantore said.