It is a genuine privilege to have the opportunity to lead this wonderful group this year. Our community of geocachers is truly special—filled with people who enjoy sharing good times and supporting one another. I believe many members have developed lasting friendships along the way. I warmly welcome all the new names in the logbook and encourage everyone to feel comfortable reaching out to seasoned geocachers for hints and assistance. Most of us simply want to share how much fun and enjoyment this hobby can bring.
Our May 10th NoVAGO’s 2025 Spring Picnic & Cache Awards Community Celebration Event, held at Franklin Park in Purcellville, was a time to show appreciation for those among us who elevate the hobby for the enjoyment of all. Each year, we ask our members to nominate their favorites from the year before. The Cache Awards Committee sorts through the nominations, and then we vote. At our spring picnic, we hold our cache awards ceremony and reveal the winners in each category.
The board has received some feedback about people missing certain categories from years past. Yes, change can be hard. But I want to assure our members that we’re not brushing you off. We hear you, and our virtual door is always open for conversation. We welcome feedback and suggestions on how to better support the organization. Come talk to us!
Speaking of talking with board members…
BOARD MEETINGS
Our NoVAGO board is made up of five officers:
- CherokeeThree – Vice President
- Sedor18 – Secretary
- freddiecrs – Treasurer
- TrexM8s – Public Relations
- Myself, hrothroc – President
Please give them a round of applause for all they do!
We also currently have four directors. We meet monthly, and our format is remote (online). Members are always invited to attend. Meeting minutes are posted in the members’ forum on our website. You can find meeting dates and contact info on the calendar. Thank you to rufnredy for managing that calendar for us!
And thank you to all the volunteers who helped our spring picnic run so smoothly—and to all the volunteers who keep the gears of this machine turning. There’s always a need for enthusiastic helpers to support our mission of fostering a community of geocachers in Northern Virginia and promoting the hobby within the wider community. Volunteering is a great way to meet people who share your interests. If this sounds like the jump you’re ready to take, a board member can help match your talents, time, and location with a role. (We work for peanuts, though.)
And speaking of volunteers with special talent…
We kicked off our cache awards ceremony with a special volunteer recognition. Last year, we had a fantastic caching series called NoVACON. For those who didn’t follow the adventure, it was a COMIC-CON/AWESOME-CON-style theme. Caches were hidden across the region as part of the series, and when the awards committee announced nominees in various categories, NoVACON caches appeared in nearly every one.
But it took a team to coordinate those cache hiders. The NoVACON team also hosted some truly fun events during the series. What we really loved were the teams, the attention to detail, the quests and adventures, the funny photos… Even today, I’m sporting my awesome donut socks that I got in one of the challenges.
Serrabou and ZippyFinn (aka Optimusfinn_Megadork), along with Hacker Trey, were the superheroes who graciously took on the challenge of creating a caching series for our club—and turned it into something we’ll remember for all the right reasons.
In special appreciation for their outstanding coordination of the NoVACON caching series, I proudly present the Superhero Service Award—complete with capes and masks—because every legendary team deserves to suit up.
The first four months of the year have been great! But we’re just getting started. Here are a few things to look forward to:
DISCORD
NoVAGO is now on Discord! With all the buzz around GeoWoodstock, we thought it was a good time to try an alternative to the Meta platforms we’ve been using. Currently, it’s invite-only. If you’d like to join, just shout out and we’ll get you set up.
GEOWOODSTOCK
The largest geocaching gathering in North America is happening in West Virginia on Saturday, May 24th. If you’re free and up for a little travel, come join us at GeoWoodstock XXI! Our Discord group will probably help decide the time and location of the NoVAGO group photo that morning.
PATHTAGS
Last year, the board realized it had been a while since we had an official club pathtag. So we got the wheels turning. Thanks to everyone who submitted designs or helped with the selection process! Earlier this year, we placed an order featuring the winning artwork, created by NoVAGO member Awesnap. As a special thank-you, we gave Chris ten tags. Thank you!
We wanted as many members as possible to get their hands on a tag, so we kept the price low and set a purchase limit. They were a hit—we sold out in just an hour and a half! Our original plan was to use the proceeds to fund a second batch, but unfortunately, pathtag production costs have jumped unexpectedly. We’ll review our options later this summer and decide how best to move forward.
SILENT AUCTION FUNDRAISER
Held annually at our fall picnic, this is our biggest fundraiser of the year. It supports our activities throughout the year. So as you go about your days, keep an eye out for items that might be popular and consider donating!
BLOCK PARTY
In September, we’ll be celebrating 25 Years of Geocaching in the DMV a little north of Frederick, Maryland. Stay tuned for updates—there will be a lot of announcements as the event gets closer.
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
Keep the submissions coming! This was the one cache award category where every participant had a say—and it was tough to choose a favorite. Who will it be next year?
Remember, the contest runs in the Members Only section of our website, so you’ll need to log in to participate. Feel free to upload your photos with a brief description of how they tie into your geocaching adventures. At the end of each month, we’ll vote on our favorites!