The Egg Has Been Poached Shellshocked Officials At Lakeside High Try To Crack The Case Of Missing Trophy

Thu., Feb. 4, 1999

Amy Scribner Staff writer

Humpty Dumpty may have hogged all the glory in egg history, but a local egg is trying its darndest to become famous.

The Golden Egg trophy - namesake of a spirit contest between Medical Lake and Lakeside high schools - mysteriously vanished from Lakeside two weeks ago and has been on a joy ride ever since.

The Golden Egg is much like several other local spirit events: the Rubber Chicken feud between Lewis and Clark and Ferris high schools and Groovy Shoes between North Central and Shadle.

Lakeside stashed the papier-mache egg in a glass trophy case after winning the contest in January. Shortly after, it disappeared from the case, which was already broken.

Then, Wednesday morning, administrators say they arrived at school to find anonymously delivered photos of the missing egg cruising around town.

The egg stopped in at a Burger King, where it donned a paper crown and posed with the restaurant’s crew.

One photo shows the balloon-sized egg perched on Lakeside Assistant Principal Jim Missel’s desk. In another, it’s in the school’s home ec room, nestled next to a sack of sugar.

It even appears the egg took a trip to Spokane’s Public Safety Building. Sheriff’s Inspector Larry Lindskog is shown holding it.

Lindskog insists he’s not a crook. He said two teens knocked on his office window Friday night, claiming they needed him to pose with the egg as part of a scavenger hunt.

“They had this huge egg thing in their hands, they asked me to pose, and so I did,” he laughed. “I tell you, I could ID the two if I saw them.”

A note was left along with the photos: “Don’t worry. I’m safe and happy.”

Students aren’t so sure.

“We want to talk to the egg,” demanded Lakeside ASB officer Andrew Gruver. “We need to hear the egg’s voice before we believe it’s safe.”

The caper appears to be based on a similar stunt pulled in Massachusetts last year. Someone nabbed a 10-pound concrete frog from its home and then sent the owners photos of the frog in exotic locations from Hawaii to Indonesia.

The frog was returned in December.

Nobody knows who masterminded this eggs-capade.

Some students are sure it was the Lakeside janitorial staff, with its 24-hour access to the building. Others suspect their Medical Lake rivals have something to do with it.

“I have not heard a word about it,” Medical Lake Principal Susan Fahrni said. “Not even a rumble. But I’ll definitely do some snooping myself.”

Lakeside is hoping to crack the case by next Tuesday, when the two schools have another spirit contest during a boys and girls basketball doubleheader.

Missel is offering a free lunch to whoever returns the trophy unharmed.

Egg salad, anyone?

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