“Strategic, brilliant” winners unlock Quest for Golden Key

Edmontonians have a reputation for being fast, smart and unstoppable when they’re on the trail of a prize. They proved that again when they combed Edmonton’s River Valley for a legendary golden key.

The Quest for the Golden Key was an eight-day treasure hunt to celebrate the opening of the new Edmonton Commonwealth Walkway. The winning team collected combination numbers along the trail and used the numbers to unlock an ornate treasure chest containing the key.

The winning team found the key on Saturday, September 14 — just after the final clue was released at 9 am.

How did Charlene Peters, Giovanni Giampa and Hamd-E-Rabbee Abbasi feel about being named Edmonton’s greatest questers and taking home the grand prize?

“It feels amazing,” Giampa said. “We had a lot of fun and it was my first time seeing the entire Walkway.”

Here’s the view from inside the Golden Key box in the winners’ moment of triumph.

Peters said it took three rides on the funicular to get the combination number.

“That was the hardest one,” Peters said.

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The contest was based a real golden key that was used to open Alberta’s new Legislature Building in 1912. The distinctive key had a cloverleaf handle and was made of gold that had been found in the North Saskatchewan River valley. After the Legislature was opened, the key disappeared into that same valley. It hasn’t been seen since.

The Quest winners took home four $500 gift cards from City of Edmonton attractions and recreation and their own golden key, crafted by Edmonton artist Slavo Cech and plated in fourteen carat gold.

“The winners were strategic and brilliant,” said game designer and organizer Gayleen Froese, “but everyone played really well and we’re so happy that they participated and had fun. It’s not a game without players and, the better the players, the better the game. Edmonton made this Quest great.”

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Questers got to know the Edmonton Commonwealth Walkway, a 10-km piece of a 1,000-km walkable path system shared between 100 cities across the Commonwealth. The Walkway gives Edmontonians a chance to get active while learning more about their city and features a free app that connects with medallions along the trail and tells four streams of local stories: History, River Valley, Indigenous and Children’s.

Those who download the app can watch for a new golden key game that will allow them to search for a virtual key as they enjoy Canada’s largest urban park.

Learn more:

Edmonton Commonwealth Walkway

The Commonwealth Walkway Trust