MARYLAND GEOCACHING SOCIETY
FALL PICNIC
(& Community Camp Out)
We are proud to
announce the MGS Fall Picnic is scheduled for Saturday, October 9,
2010, at Widmeyer Memorial Park in Hancock, Maryland. The society
would like to invite everyone with an interest in geocaching to
join us. Society membership is not required. Whether you have 10,
1,000, or 10,000 finds, ALL are welcome to join in the fun
of a potluck picnic, rubbing shoulders with old friends,
new cachers, exchanging shop talk, and sharing the joys of
this outdoor pursuit. Oh yes, there will plenty of caching as well.
More on camping later.
The Town of
Hancock was one of the first municipalities in the state to embrace
the Maryland Municipal League GeoTrail. Since its inception, the
Hancock cache has had 375 visitors. The weekly newspaper publishes
the number of visits to the town MML cache each week. Such is the
welcome for geocaching in Hancock and we extend our thanks to the
town for serving as our host.
Before Hancock was named after the man who ran a ferry on the
Potomac, it was known as Tonoloway Settlement, Northbend and
William’s Town. An early trading post on the western edge of
the frontier, Hancock was subject to frequent raids by the Native
Americans, resulting in visits from the likes of George Washington
and General Braddock, and the construction of a line of forts to
protect the settlers. With the coming of the Chesapeake and Ohio
(C&O) Canal and the Western Maryland Railroad, Hancock grew and
flourished with settlers pushing west for new opportunities. A
brief and fascinating history of Hancock is provided for
the history buffs.
Hancock’s
proximity to Interstates 68 and 70, the the Potomac River, the C&O Canal, and the
Western Maryland
Rail Trail (WMRT) allow easy access to many exciting outdoor
pursuits.
The WMRT is an
inviting destination for bikers, hikers and roller bladers of all
ages. From the event site, bikers can ride 20 miles roundtrip
downriver to Big Pool or 22 miles roundtrip upriver to Pearre
(Pa-ree). The more scenic and remote is the upriver trek. Ride a
little or ride a lot, the rail trail is dotted with challenging
geocaching adventures. Bike rentals and accessories are also
available nearby, adjacent to the WMRT.
Hancock and vicinity is also
well-populated with caches. Local cachers extraordinaire Lisa &
Darin recently placed eight new caches nearby, including two very
nice history adventures, one requiring projection. Widmeyer Park
itself will feature four new caches for the event.
Widmeyer
Memorial Park has five pavilions, multiple playgrounds,
basketball and tennis courts, a ball field, horseshoes, volleyball,
plenty of parking, wheelchair access, and restrooms in close
proximity to the event pavilion. All are located along the banks of
the serene Tonoloway Creek. And ALL of it is OURS for Friday night
and all day Saturday.
In addition, the town fathers are inviting
MGS campers and friends to set down roots Friday and Saturday night
in the park, free of charge. And while this is not a camping park
(and there are no hook-ups), restrooms, outdoor water and
electricity, and shower facilities are available at the park and at
the nearby C&O Canal hostel. Camping spots along the banks of
the Tonoloway are prime. The town will provide a large fire ring
for a community camp fire.
Widmeyer is pet-friendly.
Please control and clean up behind Fido &
Fifi.
Standard camping is available nearby at Fort
Frederick State Park near Big Pool, MD. The best of the best
standard lodging can be found at the Super 8 Motel, which overlooks
the back end of the event site. More info on camping and lodging
can be found HERE.
The tentative schedule for the event picnic
is:
9:00 a.m: Picnic
preparations.
10:00 a.m. -
Words of Welcome & Introductions of our Hosts.
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon: Fire up the grilles.
All-you-can-eat MGS cuisine.
10:00 a.m. to whenever: Caching, games, caching, eating,
hanging out with others and more
caching.
2:00 p.m. -
Tour of Hancock Visitor Center & chat with Marion
Golden
Be sure to
visit the MGS site at www.mdgps.org for updates and more
information. Updates will also appear on this
page.
Please
bring a dish and/or drinks to share (post a "Will Attend" log if
you plan to attend, along with the dish/drinks you plan to bring).
If you intend to camp over in the Park, please indicate the
night(s) you will be camping. The event will be held rain or
shine!
It is
confirmed - Because this is a long weekend (Columbus
Day...should be Magellan Day), two corallary events will piggy-back
the Saturday Fall Picnic - a biking event (GC2D21D) on the WMRT for
Friday afternoon/evening AND an EarthCache Day Event on Sunday
morning with a hike or bike visit to "The Devil's Eyebrow - An
Appalachian Tale" earthcache (GC2D21E) a few miles upriver on the
C&O Canal. Further details on these events will posted on the
MGS website. See green link
above.
We would be remiss not to mention the
wonderful reception awaiting in Hancock. Recon of the location was
led by the town manager, two city councilmen and their wifes. The
mayor and other councilmen would have been present but for other
commitments. The Maryland Geocaching Society and entire geocaching
community extends hearty thanks
to:
Mayor Daniel A.
Murphy
Town Council Members Tim Smith, Sinclair
Hamilton, Nigel Dardar, and Dennis
Hudson.
Town Manager David
Smith
Hancock Police Department (yes, they know
about our activity and will be watching over us as we
slumber).