{"id":113716,"date":"2023-03-20T09:58:18","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T16:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/?p=113716"},"modified":"2023-08-11T12:31:03","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T19:31:03","slug":"let-the-good-times-roll-at-alabamas-first-mega-event-bamarama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/let-the-good-times-roll-at-alabamas-first-mega-event-bamarama\/","title":{"rendered":"Let the good times roll at Alabama\u2019s first Mega-Event: Bamarama"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a guest post written by HQ’s Community Volunteer Support Manager Jessie Maxwell.<\/em><\/p>\n

Geocaching HQ Lackeys attend dozens of Mega and Giga-Events around the world, shaking hands, sharing stories of adventure, and of course, geocaching! jtcoffee<\/a> is the Community Volunteer Support Manager at Geocaching HQ. She recently traveled to Alabama to attend the Mega-Event, BAMARAMA 2023 (GC9TB1Z<\/a>). Here\u2019s her summary of the Event.<\/em><\/p>\n

Have you ever dreamed of hosting a giant geocaching Event? Some geocachers in Gulf Shores did and, with true community effort, the first Mega in Alabama was born!<\/p>\n

For many in the northern hemisphere, a warm day in February is hard to find but, in Gulf Shores, the stage for Bamarama was set by white sandy beaches and bright skies.<\/p>\n

Event hosts were going for a \u201csummer camp vibe\u201d which meant there were lots of activities, beautiful weather, and the chance to become new friends with everyone you met. This year, the Event coincided with Mardi Gras, so there were beads for all.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Thegreytroll.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The week kicked off with side-events held at unique locations, highlighting fun caches to find in the swamps (watch out for alligators) and famous watering holes.<\/p>\n

We love to see local businesses partner with Mega-Event hosts to welcome geocachers to town\u2014and Gulf Shores was a perfect example. A local brewery even created a special brew called \u201cBamarama,\u201d complete with unique, trackable, hand-designed labels. Another event used an Adventure to help attendees determine the secret code word for entry. The creativity was so much fun to see!<\/p>\n

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Photo from SandMarcus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Photo from Smiling Duo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once the Mega-Event day arrived, geocachers were met with lots of possibilities:<\/p>\n