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Three Fond du Lac women are big fans of the Lost Little Reindeer Contest that The Reporter started last year.

For the inaugural search in 2014, Ann Sommerfeldt and twin sisters Brooke and Beth Strauss were close to finding the reindeer. At one point, they were searching within 100 yards of its hiding spot, when they decided to look elsewhere.

When this year's contest rolled out Dec 10, the friends were certain this was their year.

And it was, and quite impressive, too. The trio needed only two clues to find the reindeer, which they affectionately named "Randy."

"Yes, we're all in our 30s, I know," Sommerfeldt said. "It's just a fun thing to do."

The Lost Little Reindeer Contest offers clues to readers to find a toy reindeer hidden by Reporter staff in Fond du Lac on public land.

Two clues were all it took this year.

Clue 1: The founders of the city camped near it before they went forth / the water which stretches two miles and flows north.

The friends said the clue alluded to the Fond du Lac River. Sommerfeldt said that they spent a few evenings looking in areas around the riverbank.

Clue 2: For three generations a family collects / discarded remnants to resurrect.

The reindeer hunters turned to Sommerfeldt's parents, who have lived in Fond du Lac for 70 years. The parents told them about the Sadoff's, which tipped them off to the Sadoff Iron & Metal Company, which is near the river.

They now knew the general area where Randy was lost.

After the Green Bay Packer win on Dec. 13, the three of them went out looking for the reindeer in the dark. They split up, each had a flashlight, and they texted one another ideas.

Sommerfeldt was wandering around in the dog park and lifted up one of the orange cones. There was the scarf-wearing reindeer.

"I actually just screamed," she said. "We kind of were all searching in different areas so all of a sudden I just screamed and they ran over."

The group received a $50 gift card to Blanck's Lake Aire Supper Club, a steak and seafood restaurant in Fond du Lac. But they decided to donate the card to a needy family.

"We never really did it for the gift card," Sommerfeldt said. "(We want to give it to) someone who doesn't normally have enough money to go to dinner or do something fun like that, especially around this time of the year."

While Sommerfeldt said this year's contest was easier than last year's, she appreciated the historical clues.

"You can tap into other people," she said. "My parents are in their 70s and they have lived in Fond du Lac all their life so it was kind of neat to bring them in and ask other people. You really have to know the Fond du Lac area to know what you're looking for."

What is ahead for Randy the Reindeer? The three friends are splitting their time with him.

"I'm sure he'll come on all sorts of adventures with us," Sommerfeldt said.

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