CONTEST BASED ON HIDDEN NUTS >>>

Tacoma City Ballet kicks off a scavenger hunt today the likes of which Tacoma has never seen - a yearlong search for nuts. You heard right. Nuts. The nuts tie into the company's highly anticipated Dec. 7, 2013 performance, Prequel to The Nutcracker.

The contest in a nutshell: TCB hides hand-painted Golden Krakatuk Nuts inside jewel boxes around Tacoma; inside the boxes is a scroll with prize details, such as gift certificates, merchandise or tickets to Tacoma City Ballet's World Premier of said Nutcracker in December. You find the Golden Krakatuk Nuts and great riches will be heaped upon you!

"The grand prize every month will include tickets to the Nutcracker this year," says Melissa Goldman, director of Community Relations, Development, and Marketing at TCB. "The grand prize will also have something that the participating business contributed. If it's a restaurant, it might be a gift certificate for dinner. If it's at a store, it might be a specific piece of merchandise or a gift certificate at that store. There will also be smaller prizes."

No, this is not nuts. It's a cool way to introduce the new Nutcracker act. TCB Artistic Director Erin M. Ceragioli hand painted a limited number of Golden Krakatuk Nuts too.

The Prequel to The Nutcracker performance will explain why a prince is trapped inside a nutcracker doll. Apparently, a beautiful princess is cursed into ugliness by the evil Mouse Queen. To break the curse, Christian Elias Drosselmeyer has to find the magical Golden Krakatuk Nut - the hardest nut in the entire world - and the young man who is fated to crack it. Except, as we now know, Drosselmeyer needs the entire city of Tacoma to help him.

Is your head spinning like a Sugar Plum Fairy?

Each month through the year, Golden Krakatuk Nuts will be hidden at businesses throughout Tacoma. To find the nuts, decipher the poetic clues, which will be posted at Tacoma City Ballet's website, Facebook page, as well as this blog.

The first clue dropped this morning. A second clue will follow close behind on Feb. 1. January will have only a single nut, but the rest of the months this year will have several. Clues will guide you to a restaurant, shop or other business at which the nuts may be in plain sight or may be behind the counter.

Ready for the clue to the first location? Here you go you nuts:

Searching for the Krakatuk Nut, you are? Then like Drosselmeyer you must travel far. Look for beautiful boxes containing the Golden Nut and other delightful prizes - Who can imagine what? Only one box is hidden this month in our fair city And to figure out January's clue, you must be quite witty.

January's Krakatuk Clue

Follow Pearl to the Land of Thai

Where you can dine on delectable delights as the evening draws nigh.

Do you know what that means? Are you off to find the golden nut? A limited number of prizes will be available at each location, so speed counts.

Below is your soundtrack for today: