Multi-Week Puzzles

The County Fair Fiasco

Eight friends headed to the Briarwood County Fair for a September weekend of Ferris wheels, homemade preserves, prize livestock, and the sort of food best eaten while pretending calories do not exist.

They expected blue ribbons and a little friendly competition. Instead, by closing night, three contestants had become the talk of the fairgrounds:

  • one had won Best Pie,
  • one had been accused of stealing a prize ribbon, and
  • one had accidentally unleashed a goat stampede.

Can you work out who did what?

Each contestant took part in one different main event.

Contestants

  • Millie
  • Rob
  • Cynthia
  • Dean
  • Hazel
  • Brett
  • Nora
  • Paula

Events

  • Pie Baking
  • Petting Zoo
  • Quilt Exhibition
  • Jam Judging
  • Photography
  • Livestock Parade
  • Craft Market
  • Ferris Wheel Ride

Week One Clues

  1. Between Millie, Rob, and Brett, one spent the day with pastry, one with the goats at the Petting Zoo, and one among the animals in the Livestock Parade.
  2. Hazel, Paula, and Cynthia divided themselves between quilts, preserves, and handmade goods, with one at the Quilt Exhibition, one at Jam Judging, and one browsing the Craft Market.
  3. Dean and Nora chose very different views of the fair: one spent the afternoon behind a camera while the other saw the grounds from high above.
  4. The judges agreed the Best Pie had a cherry filling.
  5. The missing prize ribbon was discovered tucked beneath a bundle of purchases inside one of the fair’s canvas shopping totes.

Week Two Clues

  1. After watching a goat chew somebody’s scarf near the entrance, Millie decided she wanted absolutely nothing to do with any event involving animals.
  2. Paula cheerfully admitted she could barely sew on a button, let alone produce anything worthy of a quilt ribbon.
  3. Hazel had brought money for the handmade stalls but never actually made it to the Craft Market.
  4. Nora took one look at the Ferris wheel, announced that heights were overrated, and kept both feet firmly on the ground.
  5. Whatever Cynthia did that afternoon, it didn’t involve tasting or judging a single spoonful of jam.

Week Three Clues

  1. Millie finished the day with cherry filling on one thumb and flour dusted across the front of her shirt.
  2. The accusation fell on the contestant who had been carrying the tote in which the missing ribbon was found.
  3. After the goats were finally rounded up, the person responsible for the escape still had one of the little paper feed cups in their pocket.
  4. Brett insisted he had never stepped inside the Petting Zoo enclosure all day.

Week Four Clues

  1. Paula left the fair without a single handmade purchase or Craft Market shopping bag.
  2. Those canvas totes were handed out only to shoppers at the Craft Market.
  3. The little paper feed cups were available only inside the Petting Zoo.
  4. Cynthia maintained that she had no idea how someone else’s ribbon had ended up among the purchases in her tote.
Solution

Mystery At Coral Bay Beach

Banner picture for Mystery at Coral Bay Beach

A group of visitors escaped to Coral Bay for a weekend by the sea, only to arrive just in time for the town’s lively Boardwalk Festival. Between the surf, the scavenger hunts, the shell crafts, and the saltwater taffy, it should have been an idyllic coastal break.

Instead, by sunset, the boardwalk was buzzing about three unforgettable mishaps:

  • one beachgoer had found buried treasure,
  • one had been banned from the taffy stand, and
  • one had caused a lifeguard emergency drill entirely by accident.

Can you piece together what really happened?

Each visitor took part in one different activity.

Visitors

  • Nina
  • Oscar
  • Tanya
  • Leo
  • Rachel
  • Gareth
  • Isabel
  • Chloe

Activities

  • Surf Contest
  • Shell Art Workshop
  • Kite Flying
  • Sandcastle Building
  • Beach Volleyball
  • Scavenger Hunt
  • Taffy Tasting
  • Sunset Cruise

Week One Clues

  1. Nina spent half the afternoon untangling kite string from a folding chair and insisting the sea breeze had changed direction just to annoy her.
  2. Gareth was still brushing sand from his cuffs after fussing over a miniature lighthouse and moat for far too long.
  3. Rachel carried around a shell-covered frame she said would look perfect on her mantel.
  4. The beachgoer who later found buried treasure was the one who joined the Scavenger Hunt.
  5. The beachgoer who later caused the lifeguard emergency drill had taken part in the Surf Contest.

Week Two Clues

  1. Chloe returned from her activity sunflushed and triumphant after a very competitive match.
  2. Isabel said that if she was going to spend money on anything, it would be a boat ticket rather than candy, crafts, or carnival games.
  3. Leo had no interest in kites, shells, treasure maps, or sunset sightseeing.
  4. The visitor later banned from the taffy stand was not Rachel, Gareth, or Isabel.
  5. Oscar was not at the shell table, the volleyball court, or out on the water.

Week Three Clues

  1. Tanya came back with sticky fingers, a striped paper bag, and strong opinions about which flavour should have won the day.
  2. Chloe photographed the treasure being found, which meant she certainly had not found it herself.
  3. Nina neither found the treasure nor caused the lifeguard drill.
  4. Rachel was not the visitor banned from the taffy stand or the one who caused the drill.
  5. When Nina’s kite tipped over the lemonade, Leo was nowhere near the taffy stand.

Week Four Clues

  1. Oscar came back with a scavenger map tucked in his pocket and a grin no one could wipe off his face.
  2. The visitor who spilled the lemonade was the one banned from the taffy stand.
  3. Leo was the one who mistook a pink inflatable flamingo for trouble in the surf.
  4. The visitor who caused the lifeguard emergency drill was the same one who had entered the Surf Contest.
  5. Tanya was not the one who found buried treasure or caused the lifeguard drill.
Solution

Spring Fling at Willowcroft Inn

The Willowcroft Inn was bursting with spring blossoms, with the scent of lilacs drifting in from the courtyard. A group of longtime friends booked a weekend getaway at the Willowcroft Inn for the annual Spring Fling Festival for a weekend of rest, laughter, and a bit of trouble.

By Sunday brunch, three things had become very clear:

  • one guest had gotten engaged,
  • one had lost an heirloom brooch, and
  • one had been banned from the inn for life.

Use the clues revealed over four weeks to deduce who did what.

Each guest took part in one different activity.

Guests

  • Clara Collins
  • Fiona Frost
  • Dana Drake
  • Ben Baxter
  • Holly Hart
  • Simon Snow
  • Patrick Porter
  • Oliver Owens

Activities

  • Antique Appraisal
  • Flower-Arranging Workshop
  • Murder-Mystery Dinner
  • Nature Photography Hike
  • Candle-Making
  • Afternoon Tea
  • Jazz Night
  • Local History Tour

Week 1 Clues

  1. Clara came back with rose petals on her cardigan and opinions about everyone else’s centrepieces.
  2. Simon was humming trumpet solos under his breath.
  3. Patrick had lavender wax on one sleeve and a wrapped candle tucked under his arm.
  4. Oliver refused anything involving flowers, candles, or old silver.
  5. The guest later banned from the inn was the same one who caused a scene at the Murder-Mystery Dinner.

Week 2 Clues

  1. Fiona had no interest in arranging flowers, trudging about with a camera, or joining the walking tour.
  2. The guest who got engaged took part in the Local History Tour.
  3. The guest who later realised they had lost their heirloom brooch had attended Afternoon Tea.
  4. Holly refused both Jazz Night and the Murder-Mystery Dinner, saying one was too noisy and the other too silly.
  5. Ben said Afternoon Tea was too fussy and the Local History Tour sounded like “a long walk in sensible shoes,” so he skipped both.

Week 3 Clues

  1. Dana had no patience for flower crowns, candle wax, or listening to strangers discuss silver makers and their marks for an hour.
  2. The guest who got engaged was not Clara, Fiona, Ben, or Oliver.
  3. The guest who lost the brooch was not Clara, Simon, Patrick, or Oliver.
  4. The guest who was banned was not Dana, Simon, Fiona, or Patrick.
  5. Before dinner, Fiona was still talking about Georgian clasps, old brooch settings, and how few people appreciated proper engraving anymore.

Week 4 Clues

  1. The guest admiring antique silver was not the one who got engaged, lost the brooch, or was banned.
  2. The guest humming jazz was not the one who got engaged, lost the brooch, or was banned.
  3. The guest with wax on one sleeve was not the one who got engaged, lost the brooch, or was banned.
  4. The guest who refused flowers, candles, and old silver was not the one who got engaged, lost the brooch, or was banned.
  5. Dana returned from her activity with muddy shoes, notes about the old mill, and a smile she refused to explain.
Solution

The Snowbound Soirée

picture of a ski lodge covered in snow

The annual Frostvale Lodge Winter Soirée was supposed to be an elegant weekend of fairy lights, mulled cider, and the sound of laughter drifting through the pines.

But not everything went to plan.

By morning:

  • one guest had won the lodge’s trivia contest,

  • one had accidentally broken the ice sculpture centerpiece, and

  • one had locked themselves out of their room in their pajamas.

Can you figure out who did what?

Guests

  • Clara Collins

  • Ben Baxter

  • Fiona Frost

  • Oliver Owens

  • Dana Drake

  • Patrick Porter

  • Holly Hart

  • Simon Snow

Activities

  • Ice Carving Display

  • Trivia Night

  • Hot Cocoa Bar

  • Snowshoe Trek

  • Fireside Sing-Along

  • Gingerbread Workshop

  • Board Game Tournament

  • Evening Gala

Week 1 Clues

  1. On Friday afternoon, Clara, Holly, and Fiona attended the Gingerbread Workshop together.

  2. Ben spent most of the evening at the Hot Cocoa Bar sampling every flavor.

  3. The friend who won Trivia Night was not part of the Gingerbread Workshop group.

  4. The guest who broke the ice sculpture did so during the Evening Gala.

  5. Simon skipped both the Gala and Trivia Night so he could prepare for the next morning’s Snowshoe Trek.

Week 2 Clues

  1. Dana and Oliver teamed up for the Board Game Tournament right before Trivia Night and then went straight to the Trivia room together.

  2. Patrick arrived late to the lodge and missed both the Board Game Tournament and the Gingerbread Workshop.

  3. The pajama incident happened after midnight, long after the Gala had ended.

  4. The Trivia winner was not Oliver or Patrick.

  5.  Fiona chose to spend the Gala hour reading by the fire instead of dressing up.

Week 3 Clues

  1. Clara didn’t stay up for Trivia; she went to bed with a headache before it began.

     

  2. Ben never made it to Trivia Night; after too much cocoa, he went straight to bed and slept through the entire event.

     

  3. The person who broke the ice sculpture was wearing formal shoes and had been dancing at the Gala.

     

  4. The guest locked out in their pajamas did not attend the Gala at all.

     

  5. Dana did not attend the Gala; she went straight from the Board Game Tournament to Trivia Night and then to bed, without ever visiting the ballroom. In the morning, Fiona’s room key was found buried in the snow just outside the side door.

 

Week 4 Clues

  1. In the morning, Fiona’s room key was found buried in the snow just outside the side door.

  2. Holly attended the Gala but left early to set up song sheets for the later Fireside Sing-Along; she had already changed into slippers when the sculpture broke.

  3. Patrick was still in his hiking boots during the Gala; his wet footprints went only as far as the buffet, not near the sculpture.

  4. The only people close to the ice sculpture when it shattered were Oliver and the Trivia host.

  5. The pajama-locked guest had gone outside “to look at the snow” and dropped their room key near the side door.
Solution
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