In record time, the grand prize in the annual WANY Treasure Hunt was discovered on just the third day after the contest began.

Pegan Madison, 17, of Albany, found the “partridge” which represented the grand prize and with it a cash pot of $1,200.

The prize was discovered around 7 p.m. Wednesday night, December 11. The contest officially began with the first clue of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” theme hunt being given out at 10:30 a.m. last Monday morning, December 9.

The Treasure Hunt had some changes this year, including instead of lumping several different donated prizes together with cash, the grand prize consisted of a cash only prize meaning several other prizes, put out around participating businesses, could be found and claimed by treasure seekers.

The grand prize symbol was discovered at the stop sign at the corner of Washington and Wood Streets, just between the Clinton County News offices and Albany Building Center.

When the main cash prize was claimed, there were still around 70 other prizes to be found and turned in at the radio station to win that prize. As of press time Tuesday morning, still over 50 of those prizes, which were symbols recognized in the song “Twelve Days of Christmas” had yet to be found and the hunt will officially continue until all prizes are claimed.

As always, a host of local businesses took part in the 2013 Treasure Hunt, donating items to be awarded to treasure hunters. Several of those donations came in the form of merchandise and/or gift certificates in varying amounts.

Congratulations to Pegan Madison for discovering the grand prize item and thanks to everyone who has or continues to participate in the Treasure Hunt through its conclusion.

(A complete listing of participating businesses involved in this year’s Treasure Hunt can be found in a separate advertisement in this week’s issue.)