Some people never grow out
of old, fun traditions.
The history of Trick-or-Treat goes back a
long way, and there are many stories behind its origins,
particularly in Irish folklore. According to one source, an old
Irish peasant practice called for going door to door to collect
money, bread cake, cheese, eggs, butter, nuts, apples, etc., in
preparation for the festival of St. Columbus Kill. Yet another
custom was the begging for soul cakes, or offerings for one's self
- particularly in exchange for promises of prosperity or protection
against bad luck. It is with this custom the concept of the fairies
came to be incorporated as people used to go door to door begging
for treats. Failure to supply the treats would usually result in
practical jokes being visited on the owner of the house.
By the mid- 20th century in Ireland and
Britain, smaller children would dress up and parade to the
neighbors' houses, do little performances, then ask for a reward.
American kids seem to remember this with their chants of "Jingle
bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg," and other classic tunes
done for no reason other than because "it's
traditional."
Whatever the reason or the history, we invite you to join us
for our geo-festivities on October 30 at stunning Elks-Brox Park in
Port Jervis, NY. With its varied hiking and breathtaking
views,
this is an amazing place to spend a day for any reason. The
unique
combination of terrain and geography provides what is probably
the
best view of a tri-state region of any in the country.
We'll gather at the picnic area at the posted coordinates,
rain or shine, and the event will begin at 10am
sharp. It's recommended but not required that you come in
costume. We’ll do photo shoots and a group photo and
then
start the day’s activity. You’ll receive
coordinates
for a set of temporary caches, many with easy terrain and some
with
more challenging terrain. The caches represent your
trick-or-treat
destinations: each one is filled with a certain treat, so
bring
your Halloween bags to gather your stash. A few of them will have
a
little surprise involved too. Caching with dogs? The canine
ones
won’t be left out of the treats – we’ll have
at
least one cache with treats for them too!
At the end of the designated time, we’ll meet at
coordinates you’ll be given and sign the event log.
Prizes
will be given for the coolest individual or group costume and
the
best geo-themed costume (given to the cacher whose costume does
the
best job of representing their geo-name). You may wish to pack
a
picnic lunch, especially if the weather is good, because this is
a
terrific area for picnicking and relaxing with friends.
Are you new to geocaching or geo-events, or have a friend who
is
thinking of trying out geocaching? This is an excellent time
to
come out, as there will be plenty of opportunity to interact
with
other cachers while finding caches around a great park.
(Note concerning the terrain rating: this event is meant
to
be accessible to all cachers, including children. You can
attend
the event and have a great time finding several hides and sign
in
for the event without doing anything above terrain 1 or 1.5.
However, if you choose to visit every site we’ve got
planned,
be ready for a good hike, worthy of the rating. If you’re
a
newer cacher who has done all of the caches already posted in
this
park, there’s still a good chance you haven’t
fully
experienced Elks-Brox.
This event is planned with the approval of the Port Jervis
Recreation Department.