Thanks to Albany resident Marenda York, Santa now has both of his boots again, bringing the 2015 WANY Treasure Hunt to an end.

York picked up the event’s $2000 top prize mid-day Monday after finding the hidden boot in a permanent city-owned trash can that is located on Cross Street in front of Ferguson Brothers Hardware Store.

York said she has been one of the treasure hunters since the event first began in December, one of many who took to the Albany streets over the past few weeks searching for the hidden boot.

She said that although her job keeps her at work until 2:00 a.m., she would go to the radio station and look over the clue list after leaving work, and often immediately go on the hunt for the hidden token.

The boot had been taped to the inner lip of the trash can by Allred several weeks ago before the treasure hunt began.

Allred explained Tuesday morning near the trash can where the boot was found, that she had built the replica of Santa’s boot from a boot that appeared on a Christmas Card she had received.

In fact, on the clue list that was handed out, the boot that appeared on those papers were actually a copy of the “other” Santa boot that had been pictured on the same Christmas card.

Allred noted that the participation in this year’s treasure hunt appeared to be up from prior years, noting that in the past few days alone, she had given out over 100 clue lists in addition to the lists that had been given out earlier in the contest.

She went on to say how pleased she had been with the increased participation in the contest by local businesses as well, noting that about 50 local businesses had provided prizes for the contest.

Allred went on to say that a complete list of the clues that had been used in the contest would be published in a future edition of the Clinton County News.

Santa’s boot that was the object of the WANY Treasure Hunt was constructed from a Christmas card, and had been taped to the inside of a trash can near Ferguson Brothers Hardware on Cross Street.

Marenda York returned to the spot where she found Santa’s boot Monday, showing The Grinch, and, with this photo, the rest of those who had been hunting the prize, just where she found the token that earned her the $2,000 top prize in the WANY Treasure Hunt contest.