{"id":12453,"date":"2012-09-06T15:30:09","date_gmt":"2012-09-06T22:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/?p=12453"},"modified":"2016-01-15T13:24:56","modified_gmt":"2016-01-15T21:24:56","slug":"midwest-geobash-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2012\/09\/midwest-geobash-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"MidWest GeoBash 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sometimes a simple match won’t do for a Mega-Event fire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Groundspeak Lackeys are traveling thousands of miles from H.Q. throughout the year to share smiles, shake hands, and make geocaching memories at nearly 20 Mega-Events worldwide<\/a>. Justin Dover aka dova dov<\/a>, attended the<\/em> Mega-Event Midwest GeoBash 2012 (GC34GFG<\/a>)<\/em> The Mega-Event took place in Wauseon, Ohio. Justin has served as a Lackey since 2009 and is an engineer in IT – basically he’s one of the hamsters<\/a>. <\/em>Here\u2019s Justin’s account of his adventure.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Justin Dover aka dova dov<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Justin Dover:<\/p>\n

Working at Groundspeak for nearly three years, I\u2019ve had a few opportunities to travel.\u00a0 My most recent adventure was to the great state of Ohio for the 8th<\/sup> annual MidWest GeoBash<\/a>.\u00a0 For the fourth year in a row, the event has been held over four days at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Wauseon, OH.\u00a0 This venue supports several hundred campsites with access to RV hookups and shower facilities.<\/p>\n

I selected this destination over other options because of the hype for MWGB around the office.\u00a0 Over the years, dozens of Lackeys have attended, and they each have stories that seemed almost too good to be true.\u00a0 Lackey Raine<\/a> accompanied me on this trip to make it his fifth time attending.\u00a0 His previous experience and knowledge of regular attendees made for a comfortable and unforgettable experience.\u00a0 When we arrived we were immediately whisked away via golf cart to meet up with main organizers, dubbed \u201cthe big three\u201d:\u00a0 Mike (Trippy1976<\/a>), Sonja (-Eleanor-<\/a>) and Pete (The Moop Along<\/a>).\u00a0 They explained the history of the event, why themes play an important role and the several venues that had come before the now permanent home at FCF.\u00a0 It\u2019s amazing how successful this non-profit event has become, and it\u2019s all made possible through the hard work of numerous of volunteers and generous donations.<\/p>\n

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Mega-Event sized Jenga<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the day, this event is like most others that I\u2019ve attended.\u00a0 Cachers walk around socializing, filling out geo-bingo cards and getting to know interesting and sometimes random facts about each other.\u00a0 For the past several years, there has been a geocoin Texas Hold-em poker tournament where the buy-in is three unique, unactivated geoicoins and the lot is split among the top three finishers.\u00a0 Other activities include a campfire cook-off, poker run and tons of opportunities to log new finds.<\/p>\n

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Lackeys Raine and Justin at MidWest GeoBash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What happens when the sun goes down is what separates the event from many others.\u00a0 Each night, at 10pm, Matt (Lord Elwood<\/a>) comes out wielding a propane ditch burner and captures the attention of the masses located near the front of the encampment.\u00a0 This location holds the moniker of \u201cArea 51\u201d, and is typically better known for pyrotechnics, adults unwinding and rekindling friendships over a drink. With torch still in hand, the rounds are made to each of the fire pits and the wood is engulfed in flame faster than thought possible.<\/p>\n

There were other activities going on like life-sized Jenga.\u00a0 Either way, you will not leave Area 51 thirsty and you will most certainly not be bored.\u00a0 I felt right at home among Midwesterners. Everyone I encountered was friendly, fun, and knows how to have a great time.\u00a0 As the saying goes at MidWest GeoBash “First of the day!” And I hope I get to say it again next year, especially since the theme of MidWest GeoBash 2013 is\u00a0Mardi Gras<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Closing Ceremonies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Groundspeak Lackeys are traveling thousands of miles from H.Q. throughout the year to share smiles, shake hands, and make geocaching memories at nearly 20 Mega-Events worldwide. Justin Dover aka dova dov, attended the Mega-Event Midwest GeoBash 2012 (GC34GFG) The Mega-Event took place in Wauseon, Ohio. Justin has served as a Lackey since 2009 and is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[134,48],"tags":[159,79],"series":[],"class_list":["post-12453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","category-lackeys","tag-geocaching-hq","tag-mega-event"],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast\/inside-geocaching-hq-podcast","embedCode":"

MidWest GeoBash 2012<\/a><\/blockquote>