Come kick off the start of the 2010 Great TB
Race with a New Year's Day picnic.
The Great TB Race is a goal oriented race, with TB's earning
points every time they complete something on a list of goals. All
contestants start from a common point. In 2010, the race will begin
here in Dallas. But, holding an event just to release travel bugs
would turn the event into something much like a Flash Mob. Since we
are starting the race on New Year's Day, why not hold a New Year's
Day party? The party will include several activities beyond race
details, including food, door prizes, geocaching bingo, the
exchange of trackables, and geocoins (buy, sell, or trade).
Geocachers wishing to bring geocoins to sell or trade are asked to
bring their own table so that on-site tables are available for food
and eating.
The Food:
This event will be a pot-luck picnic. We ask that everyone try
to bring a something to contribute to picnic. If you have an idea
for something to bring, list it in your "Will Attend" log and we'll
try to keep a running list of some of the different foods we'll
have. We're looking for main course dishes, finger foods, and
desserts, whether homemade or store bought (we don't discriminate
). Everyone has their own tastes
for drinks so we'll go ahead and say bring your own drinks (no
alcohol please). There is not a price requirement for what
food you bring. Bring an amount that you're comfortable with
and don't worry about bringing enough for everyone. With
enough people, there will probably be leftovers.
At the event, there will be a table of racing travel bugs. The
rules of the race forbid anyone who has entered the race from
moving any of the contestants (hopefully, the reasons why are
obvious). But everyone else is encouraged to pick up a travel bug
or two to help them get started in the race. By the end of the
event, every travel bug that is competing in the race needs to be
gone. The basic rules of the race will be explained at the event.
This way, everyone is familiar with the details so that everyone
present has a good idea of how they can help the travel bugs they
pick up.
This event will be one week before the end of the 2009 race.
Prizes are going to be awarded to the top three contestants at the
end of the race, but it could be the top four or five based on the
amount of available prizes. Short of a drastic change in the last
week, we should be able to announce who the predicted prize winners
will be (maybe not exact position, but at least who will get
prizes), along with a display of each of the prizes.
Volunteers:
Since I live in Kansas City and usually only come to Dallas
during the holidays to visit family, I am looking for some
volunteers to help with the event. If you are interested in
volunteering for one of these things, you can either e-mail me or
post a note on the cache page. Some of the areas that could use
help include:
- Check-In: Help hand out name tags and keep track of
attendance
- Trackables: Help keep track of non-racing trackables, with
separate Discover Only and Tradeable piles
- Photos: Anyone with a camera is encouraged to get some photos,
but I'd like to have one or two people who can walk around and get
photos of the event to post on the event page
- Door Prizes: Anyone interested in donating items for a prize
pool is welcome to do so. I'm looking for someone who can manage
this, and make some contacts to get donations for the event. E-mail
me if you are interested in this role. The sooner we start, the
better.
- Clean-up: Everyone is asked to clean up after themselves, but
we should have a few people who can linger behind with me to make
sure that no trash is missed
There is an additional item that is not planned, but is
definitely open as an option if anyone is interested in doing this.
If there is anyone interested in placing some caches for the event
in the surrounding area, please contact me. We'll release the list
at the event (and likely change the schedule a bit to
accomodate).
Event Schedule
The event will start at 1:00 PM. The remaining schedule times
are subject to change if we get volunteers for event caches.
- 1:00 PM - Event Start
- 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM - Activities, Socializing
- 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM - Lunch
- 3:00 PM - 3:20 PM - Great TB Race related affairs
- 3:20 PM - 4:00 PM - Door Prizes (all donations will be
accepted) and socializing
Keep track of this event page to keep up with event information.
Also, plan on bringing a chair with you. Table space isn't great
for a large crowd so if you have a table, bringing it leaves more
room for food and event needs.
Over the last two years, I've had the opportunity to find caches
in the Dallas area whenever I come visit my family. This is also an
opportunity for me to meet some of you and say thanks for giving me
something else to do while I'm down here. I'm guessing there will
probably be other people visiting the area around this time so the
more geocachers to attend, the merrier. I hope many of you come to
celebrate the start of the new year and the start of the 2nd Annual
Great TB Race.
Planned Food Items:
- Earthworms, Crunchy Roach, and Broccoli :)
- Chips and dip
- Deli trey
- Dessert items
- Chicken Tenders
- Veggie Tray
- Pretzels
- Carnival Cake
- Chicken
- Cookies