The Gemuetlichkeit Days festival is just around the corner, and the Mecki contest is on — starting on September 11th, 2026! The Mecki is a fictional German hedgehog cartoon character that was created by German artist, Ferdinand Diehl, for the popular German magazine HorZu — making his debut in 1949. Mecki loves to play tricks and practical jokes. Mecki has been the unofficial mascot of Jefferson's Gemuetlichkeit Days festival for decades. Our "Find the Mecki!" contest involves a 3-1/2 to 4-inch doll that resembles the famous German hedgehog. The Mecki is hidden within the Jefferson area in a public place. Clues to finding the Mecki will be posted daily after the start of the contest around 3:00 p.m. each day. The clues will be published here and on our Facebook page, and will be available at the Jefferson Public Library after 3:00 p.m. When Mecki is found, the finder must take the Mecki to the Jefferson Public Library. The Library will contact the Gemuetlichkeit Contest chairperson. A $100 prize will be awarded to the lucky winner and is being sponsored this year by Altruist Tax & Accounting, LLC!
Clue #1 Guten Tag Jefferson! Mecki is back and ready to party! I’ve even brought my guitar with me to sing and play along with all of the wonderful music! In order to find me this year, you’ll have to follow my trail, but don’t worry, I’ll leave clues along the way! I had so much fun exploring Jefferson this summer! It was especially exciting around the fourth of July as the United States celebrated 250 years! From where I camp now, I remember seeing so many beautiful lights making pictures over the river, and fireworks boomed over the Fairgrounds! The sounds of music playing every Thursday night made me dance! The celebrations made me think of all of the people who sacrificed to uplift and defend this nation. To the Stars and Stripes, I raise a Stein!! Clue #2 During my Reisen in Jefferson this summer, I decided to visit all of the memorials and tributes to our local veterans. The first night I was in town, I got very hungry, so I went to the VFW to eat delicious fish! The mission of the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization is to foster camaraderie among United States veterans of overseas conflicts. To serve our veterans, the military and our communities. To advocate on behalf of all veterans. I decided to relax by the playground for a few minutes before I headed north toward the Courthouse. Clue #3
Clue #4 Clue #5
Congratulations to our Mecki hunters, Logan Janz and Emmi Snyder from Jefferson High School who found Mecki this evening in a tree next to Eliada Brown's grave marker in Greenwood Cemetery.
