Fife to Fife

The cache is not at the provided coordinate.

Instead this takes you to the first stage of our "Fife to Fife" tour. February of 2007 marked the City of Fife's 50th anniversary of incorporation. I think most of the people in the area know where Fife is but I don't know that many people take the time to get off the freeway and actually get to know this City. This cache is your invitation to celebrate Fife's 50th birthday and get to know the City of Fife as it once was and as it is today.

Stage #1 Fife Police Department

When the City of Fife first incorporated in February of 1957. The first Town Marshal was A.J. Meuschke. The police department was located in the old Century Ball Room building at 54th Avenue and Pacific Hwy E. At this time, the tiny police department had just one police vehicle. The department has grown quite a bit since those days and has undergone several moves.

December 16, 1997, the Police Department moved into the new Criminal Justice Building located at 3737 Pacific Hwy E and shares the building with the Municipal Court. The building contains courtroom, dispatch center, and a 24 bed jail. It was officially dedicated in June 2004. This building is dedicated to the memory of Chief Jim Paulson who served in the Fife Police Department for 25 years until his death in 2003.

N 47 14.658 W 122 22.729 - At this coordinate you will find a police memorial plaque. Look for the badge that appears on that plaque and count the stars on the badge. Let that number of stars equal "A". Since you will be visiting this plaque on the grounds on the police department, we ask that you use discretion when choosing your time of visit.

Stage #2 Fife Drive-In

At one time, people came from far and wide to enjoy this local Drive-In Theater. It was a popular movie night for families, couples on dates, and teenagers to hang out. The Fife Drive-In was built in 1950 by Mike Barovic and W.R. Forman. It opened that summer, and movies flashed on the giant plywood screen until 1985. The site was razed in the early 1990's to make way for new construction.

N 47 14.560W 122 22.336 - This coordinate will take you to a row of the few remaining poplar trees that used to surround the theater. Your task is to count the number of poplar trees that were in this area. Let that number equal "BC".

#3 St. Martin of Tours Parish

The St. Martin Catholic Church has long been one of the landmark structures and a center of worship in the City of Fife. The current "modern" T-shaped parish building that now stands was completed in late 1947. This building was designed by the Tacoma architectural firm of Lance, McGuire & Muri.

N 47 14.177 W 122 21.401 - Locate the collection of statues at the coordinate provided. Count the number of human worshipers visiting the Virgin Mary. Let that number equal. "D".

#4 Fife Fountain

If you look carefully in the intersection in the photo above, you will see the landmark Fife Fountain. The 14-foot-high concrete structure, built in 1914 by four Fife merchants, was a place for customers to water their horses while they shopped for produce or visited the blacksmith. It is now located 1/2 block east, of its pictured location in the intersection 54th Avenue and 20th Street East where it stood for a half-century.

Today, the fountain is preserved in recognition of the German, Italian, Japanese and other heritages of the people who lived and worked the Puyallup valley. Square plaques on the fountain's sides commemorate outstanding individuals who serve the Fife community today.

N 47 14.325 W 122 21.364 - At this location you will learn that Louis Dacca was one of the founding fathers of Fife. Find the year of his birth. Let that number equal "EFGH".

#5 Poodle Dog Restaurant

There is a good chance that if you have heard Fife, you have heard of the Poodle Dog. The two go hand-in-hand. The famous Poodle Dog restaurant has been demolished, rebuilt and reopened three times, all at the same location in Fife. The restaurant was first built and opened in 1933 by E.J. "Jimmy" Zarelli and Rocco "Mac" Manza", then rebuilt in 1949 and 1967.

People driving from all around recognize the pink and white poodle sign high in the air advertising Good Food and that famous Pup Room. This place is probably the single most recognizable landmark in Fife.

N 47 14.596 W 122 21.455 -This location has some issues right now so I'll help you out with what you need! M=6 and J=1.Consider this waypoint a freebie.

#6 Century Ballroom

It would be hard to tell visiting this location now, but this used to be the site of one of the hottest night spots in the Pacific Northwest. The domed Century Ballroom, on the "Seattle-Tacoma Hi Way" (U.S. 99) at Fife, was constructed by Rocco "Mac" Manza and James Zarelli and patterned after the Washington State Pavilion at the 1933 "Century of Progress" Exposition in Chicago. Bert Smyser was the architect and Bonnie MacDonald was the contractor. The Ballroom opened December 29, 1934. It had 20,000 feet of floor space and was built for $28,000, which the owners Manza and Zarelli paid back a little at a time.

All of the big names of the day played there; Tommy Dorsey and Kay Kyser were the top draws. In 1935, the Lombardo brothers, Guy, Carmen, Lebert and Victor, drew a crowd of 2,600 while the Tide-flats was under martial law; Governor Clarence D. Martin had called out the National Guard to help with a sawmill workers' strike just a stone throw away. During the war, the ballroom ran two shifts of dancing with the second starting at 1:30a.m. for the swing shift workers at the defense plants. During the 1950's, music tastes were turning to rock and roll and people lost their interest in ballroom dancing. The Century closed in 1956, to be converted to a shopping mall. It sadly burned down in 1964.

N 47 14.683 W 122 21.443 - This coordinate takes you to the location where the Century Ballroom once stood. Look for the four digit number that now appears above the archway here. Let that number equal "NPQR".

Final Location

Hopefully by now you know a lot more about the City of Fife. You are probably anxious to find the cache and to sign the log. The cache is located at:

N 47 EH.87M W 122 AJ.PDC - Go get it!

This cache has been placed by permission and those in the building are aware of its existence. We ask that you please be respectful of the grounds and only visit this spot during daylight hours as to not draw unnecessary attention. The final location may prove especially interesting on Saturdays and Sundays but the cache is available any day of the week.

The cache can easily be reached from the cement. Please don't trample any flora searching, it really isn't necessary.
Please keep your logs generic enough to not give away the final location. Thanks!