Geocaching tops Memorial Day weekend events

The Memorial Day weekend in Ritzville is a busy time, and with the growing popularity of geocaching, the Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the second annual Ritzville Small Town Cache Cow Event.

Geocaching is a real-world treasure hunt and its popularity is growing at a rapid rate. Geocachers rely on GPS to help them locate caches that are hidden throughout the city and the countryside, and caches can be found in the Ritzville area year-round.

During the Memorial Day weekend activities, special caches are hidden specifically for the Ritzville Small Town Cache Cow Event. First time or experience cachers are encouraged to participate and the event is fun for all ages.

The contest allows visitors with an opportunity to travel around the local area on a scavenger hunt by finding local caches. The contest allows participants to earn prizes and provides entertainment for those joining in the event.

Participants meet at the Ritzville Public Library on Saturday, May 24, at 9 a.m. The event begins with a meet and greet, and individuals have an opportunity to sign in for the Ritzville Small Town Cache Cow Event. At the starting point, there is also a trackable table drop off and then the geocache bingo begins.

Immediately following the event, an optional cache-hunting contest is offered for any of those individuals who are interested.

At the optional hunt, participants have the contest rules explained and receive an entry form. Those individuals are then challenged with the task of finding all of the caches and being the first to return to the library with the completed entry form. The first 50 cachers to return with completed forms are awarded a 2014 Ritzville Cache Cow event pathtag.

From 2-8 p.m., event coordinators keep a variety of geocache activities going at the library and in the surrounding area. The activities include bingo, geocache container contest, and food vendors and geocache vendors are on site.

After the daytime activities are complete, the event coordinators will explain the details of the night cache offered through the daylong event.

For more information, contact the Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce at 659-1936 or at [email protected].