This Community Celebration Event (which is one of many that have been put together around the world to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Geocaching, which occurred earlier this year in May) will be held at the main pavilion in Jackson Street Park in Willard, Missouri on Saturday, December 12, 2020 from 2 pm to 4 pm.
Almost 10-1/2 years ago, another Communication Celebration Event (GC24XCM) was held in this same pavilion to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Geocaching. I estimated that 73 people attended that event, which to my knowledge is the largest number of people to ever attend an Ozark Mountain Geocachers event. We had a delicious potluck-style cookout lunch and everyone had a great time.
This event is going to revisit the potluck-style theme but is going to mix it up with a lot of sugary sweetness this time. I think we can all agree that 2020 has been a terrible year for many reasons. Whenever I'm stressed out about something, a good old-fashioned bowl of ice cream can usually put me in a good better mood. So this event is going to be an ICE CREAM SOCIAL.
Ice cream in the middle of December you may be wondering? Outside in an open air pavilion? When it might be snowing or below freezing? Exactly! You go looking for geocaches when it's cold outside already, right? According to my research, on December 12, the temperature in Willard is usually between 32°F to 44°F. It's usually warmest at 2:45 PM, which is when we'll be having this event. So we have a fairly good chance that it will be at least above freezing. This event WILL be held regardless of the weather! Hopefully it's not too warm that the ice cream melts too fast. (Have you ever eaten Ice Cream Soup? It's delicious.)
I have reserved the pavilion for this event for the full 2 hours and you can come and go as you please. I am not planning on any giveaways or any other special activities so folks don't have to sit in the cold for 2 hours (just in case it's REALLY cold). However, feel free to bring trackables for logging or extra geocaching containers/swag that you don't mind giving away to anyone who wants them.
If you want, you could spend a good part of the day finding other caches in the area. There are over 60 caches within a 3 mile radius of this event. For those who like power trails, the famous Frisco Highline Trail is just across the street and at the time of this publication has 200 caches along it. Geocachers with bicycles could find a lot of caches very quickly along the trail. You can view the bookmark list for the caches along the FHT here: https://coord.info/BMX6ZM.
A group photo will be taken around 2:30 PM.
Please note that this is a "potluck" event, which means everyone is asked to bring something if they are going to eat. I am requesting that each person/group brings a half gallon of ice cream or another item on the list below. If you are planning on attending and eating, please include a comment with your Will Attend log that says what you are bringing and I will update the list below. If you don't want to drive with ice cream in your car for a long distance and would rather just pick up something here in town before the event, I have provided waypoints for a couple businesses in Willard that I know for sure sell ice cream. You might find some at a gas station/convenience store as well.
- Half Gallon of Ice Cream *with your own ice cream scooper*- Please check to see what other flavors people said they were bringing so we don't have too much of one flavor.
- Disposable Bowls - You know, the styrofoam kind. Plan on about 25 people, and that's just an estimate.
- Disposable Spoons - You know, the plastic kind. Plan on about 25 people.
- Napkins - You know, the paper kind. Plan on about 25 people.
- Toppings (sprinkles, chocolate syrup, etc.).
Coffee, hot chocolate, and hand sanitizer will be provided.
Speaking of hand sanitizer, because of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, I am requesting that everyone practices social distancing (6 feet apart) as best as they can, avoid shaking hands, and wear a face mask when not eating. All of that isn't mandatory, just a friendly request 
Please note that the restrooms at the park are closed this time of year, so you will want to plan accordingly.
See you on December 12th!
Community Celebration Events - 2020
- This Event is part of a limited release of Community Celebration Events to celebrate 20 years of geocaching. Geocachers hosted events between May 2, 2020 and December 31, 2020. Learn more about Community Celebration Events on the Geocaching Blog.