Treasure hunters receive $200,000 prize

A full recording of the press conference regarding the Treasure Games contest and recent winners in Colorado Springs can be viewed in the video player above .

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A family from Fort Collins hit a $200,000 jackpot in Colorado Springs recently, when they won the most recent Treasure Games contest by finding a genie lamp behind Kings Chef Diner. The family received the award at a press conference on Tuesday, July 23 at 2 p.m.

Fernie Martinez and his daughters and thousands of other participants across the region had been searching for months for the genie lamp, which had been hidden behind Kings Chef Diner since February, as a part of a competitive geocaching event. A poem served as the clue leading treasure hunters to the location, and the Martinez family was the first to decipher it.

The award ceremony took place on Tuesday at Kings Chef Diner, who assisted in the event by hiding the genie lamp.

“Kings Chef Diner was thrilled to participate in the Treasure Games contest by hiding the genie lamp worth $200K behind our building,” said Gary Geiser, Owner of Kings Chef Diner. “This contest brought hundreds of treasure hunters across the country to Colorado Springs which boosted our local economy and introduced our beautiful city to many people who had never visited before. Congratulations to the family who won the treasure hunt and we look forward to celebrating them tomorrow afternoon at our Bijou Street location.”

During the press conference, it was revealed that Martinez was given an extra $10,000 to spread the wealth. Martinez chose three charities to donate $3,000 each to and include the following:

• Habitat for Humanity
• Animal Friends Alliance
• Cambodian Children’s Fund

The last $1,000 was given to fellow treasure hunters at the ceremony, which is a tradition that was started at the first Treasure Games winning ceremony, according to Treasure Games Founder Dirk Gibson.

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