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October Edition ©
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NATURE'S
ARTISTRY
Smiles Upon Greater Cleveland
Mother nature carved a piece of art when the last ice age retreated, leaving Ohio with a unique national park.
Native American’s pronounced its name Ka-ih-ogh-ha. It’s meaning – crooked river. An aerial view of it looks like God created a 100 mile smile in the landscape. Its headwater or origin is east of Cleveland. Its waters run south and then north emptying its mouth into Lake Erie.
Certainly this pleasant view from above can sometimes seem like heaven on Earth. So it was preserved as Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Although there are national historic sites, national historic parks and memorials in Ohio, this is the only site recognized with the status of national park, according to the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
The park’s valley spans 33,000 acres along a 22 mile section of the Cuyahoga River between Akron and Cleveland. It offers forests, prairies, wetlands, gorges, historic towns, canal way and a scenic railway. Hiking opportunities abound. It is a biking paradise.
The entire park system is so bike-friendly you can pedal the distance along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. This path along the river and old canal is flat and has a hard surface making it handicap accessible as well. If you grow tired of walking, running or pedaling, you can hop the train. Pay an additional $3 to transport your bike with you per one-way trip. The Cuyahoga Scenic Railway has eight depots across the park and each depot has six boarding times regularly from Wednesday through Sunday through October. An all-day pass to hop on and off trains at will costs $18/adult and $13/child 3-12 years old.
The heart of the park bustles around the Peninsula Depot. The historic town of Peninsula offers shops, galleries and restaurants along with historic architecture. The depot itself was originally erected in 1879. Off the beaten path are three nearby waterfalls. Brandywine Falls is the most popular. A boardwalk cuts into the cliff and parts the trees to an overlook that delivers a vista of cascading water. So beautiful is this spot, just about any wedding photographer in the region worth his or her salt is sure to lure bridal parties there for stunning wedding pictures.
The walkway stretches to the top of the falls where the foundation and wall of an 1814 saw mill still stands. It is one of the few remnants of the old village of Brandywine – one of the first communities to flourish in the Cuyahoga Valley. Another survivor of this lost village is the Inn at Brandywine Falls built in 1848. This luxurious property is renovated offering modern amenities like wireless Internet, but its rooms are decorated with Ohio antiques.
Other areas of the park system are not as easy as accessing trailheads near the Towpath but are gems just the same. One that should not be missed is simply known as the Ledges. The Ledges are just that – ledges of rock. Walk through the woods and you come to a ravine. The lookout point reveals a wooded valley with towering oak and hickory trees as far as the eyes can see. It takes little imagination to walk a mile in someone else’s moccasins at this point. But walk you will. A grand stone staircase descends to the bottom of the ledges where the real fun begins. Hikers will need to navigate boulders, slip between enormous cracks in the stone walls that jut up the cliff straight into the surrounding tree line. Mixed into the peculiar rock outcrops are hemlock and wildflowers. Don’t miss Ice Box Cave. How far can you go into it without a flashlight is the question.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park includes a matrix of hiking trails, including part of the statewide Buckeye Trail. Other highlights include plenty of fishing and picnicking areas, bridle trails and Shady Oaks Farm bed and breakfast where you can stable your horses. Ranger guided tours are available too. If you enjoy golfing, there are four public golf courses to choose from.
In October, there are specialty trains scheduled at the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway, including Grape Escape, Fall Foliage and Edgar Allen Poe Express. For complete rail excursion information, visit www.cvsr.com.
Other October happenings throughout Cuyahoga Valley National Park include musical events, dance, visual arts, night hiking and more.
Complete details about Cuyahoga Valley National Park, including maps and visitor information, are at www.nps.gov/cuva. A complete attractions guide for the park is available at www.dayinthevalley.com. You may also contact the park by calling (800) 257-9477.
By Frank R. Satullo, The OhioTraveler
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Some
people avoid “haunted” hotels and lodges. Others flock to them. Those in
the latter category will find esoteric thrills galore at the
Punderson Manor State Park Lodge in northeast Ohio’s Punderson State
Park. And it doesn’t have to be Halloween, or even a dark and stormy
night, to bring on the action.
Some employees have heard the sound of children’s laughter when there are no children around. Fires go out. Pencils fly across a room. Doors open and shut of their own volition. Faucets turn off and on with no one near. Televisions turn on by themselves – or off. Usually at inconvenient times.
It’s enough to make a housekeeper cry, “Stop!” and sometimes these strange occurrences do. For example, guests sometimes hear loud noises coming from rooms next to them, which are in fact unoccupied or, in one case, from the room above (except that guest was on the top floor). Most of these happenings are just annoying – or entertaining, depending on how open the guest is to experiencing such strange events.
But at least one event was pretty grisly: The specter of a lumberjack was seen hanging from a beam in the lounge for nearly three hours. Many staff members saw it. This was the only really scary event of dozens reported since the elegant 31-room manor opened in northern Ohio in the 1950s.
The land was originally settled by Lemuel Punderson and his wife, Sybal who operated a grist mill and distillery. After their deaths, the family sold it to W.B. Cleveland, whose heirs sold it to Detroit millionaire Karl Long in 1929.
Historians believe the 29-room mansion (with 14 baths) was being built for Long’s wife. Rumor has it, she disliked Detroit while others say it was just a vacation home for the Longs. But Long never completed the home as he lost his fortune during the Great Depression and died before the home was completed. The property reverted back to its original owners, the Cleveland family, and eventually to the state of Ohio.
The state finally completed construction on the mansion in 1956, turning it into a resort with both lodging and dining. It added 26 two-bedroom cabins and by the 1970s it was a popular getaway for Clevelanders as well as a stop for other travelers. It was about then that resort employees began reporting the strange goings-on.
A self-proclaimed psychic spent some time on the property and says she spoke with a ghost who said he would continue to haunt the manor “until his rocking chair was returned.” Some think that the chair to which he refers is the rocking chair that belonged to Sybal Punderson, which was inherited by Cleveland and ended up in a historic collection.
Few clues can be found to explain the other happenings. No children ever lived at the manor, and there were no suspicious or tragic deaths there, as far as anyone can tell. The manor, however, was built across the lake from the old Wales Hotel, which burned in 1885 and where some children died in the fire.
Most guests don’t experience, or even seek out, these ghostly occurrences. They’re too busy playing golf on an 18-hole championship course, playing tennis or basketball, swimming in the pool, and boating or fishing at the nearby lake. There’s also great hiking in the summer and sledding, snowmobiling or cross-country skiing in winter.
The resort is managed by Xanterra Parks & Resorts and is open year round. To make reservations at the Punderson Manor State Park Lodge, call 1-800-282-7275 or visit www.pundersonmanorstateparklodge.com/.
To reserve rooms in these state parks or for more information, visit the individual web sites or www.ohiostateparklodges.com. Xanterra also operates the marina and facilities at Geneva Marina State Park in Geneva-on-the-Lake in northeastern Ohio.
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It’s show time and
MOTHER NATURE IS THE STAR!
The Hocking Hills are ablaze with the stunning colors of autumn. The reward for hiking that extra mile to the top of the cliff is well worth the effort. At your feet is a breathtaking view. This is the reason visitors flock to the Hocking Hills every October. This is the big show and it’s absolutely FREE.
The season’s spectacle can be enjoyed in so many ways. Take a relaxing ride on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway and stop at historic Robbins Crossing. Traverse bridle trails ranked among the top ten in the world on horseback and travel deep into the Hocking Hills State Forest. Enjoy a horse drawn wagon ride at Lake Hope State Park every Saturday in October.
Want to kick it up a notch? Fly though the tree tops on zip lines. Canoe or kayak down the Hocking River. Ride an ATV through the Wayne National Park. Test your endurance at Grandma Gatewood’s Fall Color Hike. This six mile hike from Old Man’s Cave to Ash Cave is named after the first woman to ever hike the Appalachian Trail solo, and she was 67 years old when she did.
Hungry? Whether you’re in the mood for gourmet fare or down home cook’n you’ll find it in the Hocking Hills. Acclaimed chefs prepare seasonal delights with locally grown produce at the area’s restaurants. From seven course dinners to Amish inspired buffets to authentic southern BBQ you’ll find mouth-watering taste treats throughout the Hills. There’s even a traveling chef that will prepare a feast for you right in your cabin.
Get a head start on your holiday shopping and bring home one-of-a-kind treasures from the region’s many local artists and craftsmen. Quaint shops and galleries pepper the Hills as resident artists find inspiration in the beauty of the Hocking Hills. Fine art, Appalachian crafts, home furnishings and more fill the shops of Logan, Nelsonville, Rockbridge and beyond. Antique malls provide a glimpse into the past and treasures for today. Pick up the award winning Hocking Hills Arts & Ag Map at the Hocking Hills Regional Welcome Center. It is the perfect guide for your shopping excursion.
Celebrate Halloween, Hocking style. Saturday, October 22nd is Tombstone Travels in the Old Logan Cemetery. Costumed interpreters will regale you with stories from the Civil War era in tribute to the Civil War Sesquicentennial as docents lead tours through the Old Logan Cemetery.
Friday, October 28th through Sunday, October 30th is Haunted Hocking at the Hocking Hills State Park. There’s plenty of ghost stories in these Hills. Park Naturalist and co-author of Haunted Hocking, Pat Quackenbush, will lead the hunt. Does the ghost of Richard Rowe of Old Man’s Cave fame still visit? Are the renegades and bandits that hid from the law in Rock House still hanging around? And, what about the Lady in White in Ash Cave? She has given goose bumps to thousands of hikers.
When you’re ready to relax, kick back on the deck of your cabin in the woods. Disconnect from your wired world and listen to the sounds of nature as leaves dance gently to the forest floor. Gaze at the stars from a steaming hot tub and dream about your next Hocking Hills adventure.
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It’s Apple Butter Stirrin’ Time
in Roscoe Village
There’s something special about fall in Roscoe Village! Perhaps it’s the splendor of the scenery in Central Ohio’s rolling hills, the crisp mornings and warm afternoons or the smoky, sweet scent of homemade apple butter simmering over an open fire. Perhaps it is all of this that combines to make the Apple Butter Stirrin’ in Historic Roscoe Village in Coshocton synonymous with fall. For 42 years the Apple Butter Stirrin’ has attracted crowds of all ages to this restored 1800s canal town to experience the sights, sounds and flavors of the season.
The three days of Apple Butter Stirrin’ officially begin on Friday, October 14th, at 10:00am with the opening of the street lined with craft booths. The craft vendors, dressed in costume for this event, offer a wide variety of items from candles to pottery and from dried flower wreaths to birdhouses. Of course, no stroll through the craft booths would be complete without sampling the tempting food offerings. Homemade soups and pies are signature items prepared by the local employees of the Coshocton County Memorial Hospital. The varieties of foods include sandwiches, kettle corn, roasted nuts, apple dumplings, and hand-cut French fries and provide choices for every palate. An interesting addition to the festivities is the gas powered John Deere Hit & Miss ice cream maker. With one taste of the product, anyone could understand why homemade is worth the trouble! For a relaxing dining experience there are three delightful eateries located throughout the village.
Roscoe Village is a restored village that flourished in the early 1800s as the Ohio and Erie Canal wound its way through Ohio. Many of the original buildings still stand along the original canal bed, long since replaced by highway transportation. Costumed interpreters spin the tales of the early 19th century and a nearby canal boat offers a sample of life on the canal with its horse-drawn rides. The canal boat operates daily through the summer and on weekends after Labor Day until its final fall run on Apple Butter Stirrin’ weekend. Experience the “Spirit of Roscoe” tour where you will learn about our “spirited” canal town through stories of long ago personalities, significant events, and curiosities. Hear about Roscoe’s firebug, the tragedy at the hotel, the danger and humor of being a post boy, the atrocity of a bloody Bible, and a tale of love lost during the Civil War. The tours are offered Friday and Saturday during the festival at 7pm.
Traditions are certainly the benchmark of the Apple Butter Stirrin’ festivities. The annual spelling bee pits local 7th and 8th grade competitors against each other on Saturday morning in the one-room school house. Younger kids can try their hand at pumpkin decorating along with many other activities when they visit the Children’s Activity Area. Volunteers from the crowd can try their hand at some corn shellin’ in a fun crowd-pleasing contest, that’s not as easy as it sounds. Saturday and Sunday activities include the people’s choice raffle and the annual quilt raffle drawing for the handmade quilt made by Roscoe Village volunteer quilters. All the weekend’s events are accented by musical entertainment. Performances by traditional dulcimer players, bluegrass bands, gospel singers, country and the music of the 60s, 70s and 80s fill the main stage and north and south performance areas throughout the weekend.
A scenic drive south on I-77 will take you to Roscoe Village and the 42nd Annual Apple Butter Stirrin’. Roscoe Village is located 20 miles west of I-77, exit 65, at the intersection of US 36 and SR 16 in Coshocton, Ohio. The festival runs October 14, 15 and 16 from 10:00am to 6:00pm on Friday and opening at 10am on Saturday with the festival closing on Sunday at 5pm. Call 800-877-1830 or visit the website at www.roscoevillage.com for a detailed list of events and information.
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NOT YOUR ORDINARY BARN QUILT TOUR
Offering a
Full Weekend of Events
Throughout Champaign County
The sixth annual Champaign County Barn Quilt Tour, October 8 and 9, stands out in a growing field of barn quilt tours in the Midwest. The tour offers visitors a full weekend of activities for children and adults at eight locations through scenic, rolling farmland at the height of harvest and fall color.
Stops on the tour include a working dairy farm; two historic limestone mansions, the Piatt Castles, which showcase 200 years of local history; a working maple syrup camp; a farm market that features local produce and food products and Ohio wines; an historic farm that is the home to Belgian draft horses; Robert Rothschild Farm’s 170-acre raspberry farm and production facility that makes the company’s award-winning gourmet food products; and three other barn sites.
One $10 ticket covers admission to all eight stops from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 8 and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, October 9.
Tickets will be on sale the days of the tour at all of the stops and on at a tent in the southeast corner of Monument Square in historic downtown Urbana. Tickets are also available in advance through the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, 113 Miami St., Urbana; 937-653-5764; 877-873-5764.
The tour was established in 2006 to celebrate Champaign County’s agricultural heritage, the folk art of quilting and the unique features and history of Champaign County. The tour has grown to include 75 barns and other buildings that display large vibrantly-colored patchwork quilt blocks, each one a unique design, that adorn all sections of the county.
Throughout the year, visitors can drive through the county to view the barn quilts, guided by a map available from the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. In this aspect, the Champaign County Barn Quilt Tour is similar to others around the Midwest.
But unlike the others, the Champaign County tour every fall features one weekend during which selected barns and other participating sites are open for tours, displays and special activities.
Here’s a brief review of this year’s tour stops, which will all include displays of quilts:
Johnson’s Barn 7012 Stevenson Rd., Mingo. “Maple Leaf” quilt pattern.
Tap into history at an active maple syrup camp – on a family farm that dates back to 1805. Syrup demos & samples. Tour 1800s log cabin & barns. Watch local artists at work.
Robert Rothschild Farm 3143 E. U.S. 36, Urbana. “Art Square” quilt pattern.
Taste Rothschild’s award-winning gourmet products. View displays of mini quilts and vintage aprons.
Woodruff/Cambrian Barn 6721 E. U.S. 36, Urbana. “Red Gate Farm” quilt pattern.
Tour two historic barns on this active draft horse & beef cattle farm—and ride an antique horse-drawn wagon. See antique corn shucking and grinding equipment in action and view other antique machinery.
Black Barn 7793 Brush Lake Road, North Lewisburg. “Broken Path” quilt pattern.
Buy locally-grown goodness from farm market vendors. Show your Buckeye spirit at the OSU Alumni Association tent. Also, historic barn and antique tractors displayed.
Huhn Barn 6108 Black Road, Cable. “Huhn’s Early Dawn” quilt pattern.
Enjoy the beauty of a hillside water garden, perennial gardens, 1830 barn and 1834 house. Also artists, wool spinning (Sun. only), alpacas and herb gardening demos.
Broshes Barn 5077 S. Kennard Rd., Urbana. “Century Dairy Farm” quilt pattern.
Tour a working registered Holstein dairy farm in operation more than 100 years. Check out family quilts. Have fun with the kids at petting farm, games and crafts.
Piatt Castles 10051 CR 47, West Liberty. “Mac-A-Cheek Logo” quilt pattern.
Travel back to the early 19th century on the grounds of one of the Piatt family’s unique limestone mansions. Explore agricultural history. Antique farm equipment. Kids’ games & activities. (Extra fee for castle tour.)
Mad River Farm Market 7538 N. U.S. 68, West Liberty. “Goose Tracks” quilt pattern.
Explore the market, including local products. New and vintage quilts on display. Sample Ayars ice cream (Sat. only). Petting zoo. Plus, at extra cost on Saturday: wine tasting, 4-8 p.m., and box dinner, 5-7 p.m.
Freshwater Farms of Ohio 2624 N. U.S. 68, Urbana “Fish Are A-Swimmin” quilt pattern. Tour Ohio’s largest indoor fish hatchery and a restored 19th century barn. Quilt display. Shop at the farm market. Get up close with fish and other native creatures. Pet the sturgeon. Feed the trout.
For more information, contact the Champaign County Visitors Bureau at 877-873-5764 or visit ChampaignCountyBarns.com or facebook.com/barnquilttour.
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LEGENDS & FOLKLORE
Legend has it that the Ohio Grass Man is in the Bigfoot family. Sightings have occurred most often in the densely wooded areas of Eastern Ohio’s Appalachian foothills. A popular hangout for the mysterious bipedal primate, allegedly, is Salt Fork State Park.
So if you are walking in the Eastern Ohio woods and smell something foul, hear branches breaking and growling, waste no time and …get your camera ready because next you’ll see a 300 pound, 6 - 8 foot, dark shaggy-haired, gorilla-looking creature with deep-set red eyes. Be careful though, he may throw large rocks at you. After you snap the only photograph ever taken with clarity and undisputable proof of what stands before you, walk quickly away as the Ohio Grass Man (a.k.a. Eastern Bigfoot) may pursue you. No need to run though because he moves like a robot.
As you make your getaway, steer clear of anything that looks like domes made of forest material as there may be more Sasquatch nearby. It is known that the Grass Man does not party alone and may have several friends within shrieking distance.
Ohio is second only to California in Bigfoot activity. And with official Bigfoot Field Research Organizations dedicated to this mysterious creature, it is absolutely amazing that no skeletal remains, carcass, or capture has ever been proven in the 500+ years non-native Americans have been poking through the woods.
I understand that there are a number of good people that claimed to have seen this secretive animal. I am quite certain if they read this; they won’t be pleased with my commentary. Therefore, I will go on record and say; In the frequent deep-woods hiking I do all around Ohio, if I come across Bigfoot and do not get a crystal clear picture, if not video of it, I will declare to all who will listen that I was wrong and apologize for belittling such a phenomenon even if it costs me my reputation and makes me the target of commentary such as I’ve written here.
That said, I am a fan of great imagination and wonder where we’d be as a species if it weren’t for tall-tales.
By Little Hand
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SAVINGS ALERT!
-
Columbus Farm-to-Table Package with overnight accommodations at the Crowne Plaza Columbus Downtown or The Lofts Hotel: In all instances, the guest is offered a savings of over $50.00! It includes admission for two to Franklin Park Conservatory’s new Hungry Planet Exhibit and 4-acre Scotts Miracle-Gro Community Garden Campus, two tickets to a culinary tour by Columbus Food Adventures, and breakfast for two the following morning at Max and Erma’s on the Boulevard. Call (614) 461-2642 for availability, further details and restrictions.
-
Kelton House Museum &Garden
:
Say you
read it on OhioTraveler.com and get 2 Admissions for the price of 1. Good for audio or docent-led tours Monday
through Friday, 10 am to 3 pm or Sundays from 1 - 4 pm (Not applicable to
special events). Good through June 30, 2012.
keltonhouse@cs.com
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OhioTraveler.com's focus is on admission-FREE tourism. Most sections of OhioTraveler.com feature places with FREE ADMISSION at the very top of menu options. Find your free fun now:
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In addition to featuring freebies and places worth the price of admission, OhioTraveler.com seeks the more interesting and unique in Ohio tourism. Instead of endless listings of events, lodging, restaurants and stores, we veer away from mainstream and choose the road less traveled. Take a look:
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HAUNTED PRISON
Daytime Tours
Video
& Ghost
Hunt Video
Out of all the wonderful things you can see and do in Ohio, I recommend doing time at Ohio State Reformatory (OSR).
No, I haven’t gone insane, but I have been to prison twice. My first stint was at Alcatraz, followed by OSR. Although Alcatraz has a fascinating history and location, it has nothing on OSR visually. No wonder major motion pictures like Shawshank Redemption have been filmed at this historic site in Mansfield, Ohio.
The penitentiary’s cornerstone was laid in 1886, and the doors opened in 1896. It resembles a castle. In fact, it’s the largest castle-like structure in the state and fifth largest in the country at more than 250,000 square feet. It still holds the record for housing the world's tallest free-standing steel cell block. It consists of 6 tiers, 12 ranges and 600 cells. And that’s just in the East Wing of the prison.
The massive structure combines Victorian Gothic, Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne architectural styles. The beautifully sculptured relic is even evident in the sublevels where you can still see ornate granite pillars. The facility’s architecture was designed to encourage the inmates back to a "rebirth" of their spiritual lives. Today, the prison is deteriorating before the eyes in a way that is unique and very photogenic. The paint on the bars cracked and peeling, entire ceilings and walls looking like a dried lake bed and the intricate passages, grand staircases and wings interconnect floor after floor after floor.
If these crumbling walls could talk, and there are many accounts that they do, the horrific stories they’d share. A warden’s wife was fatally shot by a pistol falling to the floor inside a closet where she was reaching for her jewelry box. A warden suffered a heart attack in his office. A farm boss along with his wife and daughter were kidnapped and shot to death by two parolees seeking revenge. Inmates hung themselves in solitary confinement. And the stories go on.
More than 200 unclaimed bodies rest beneath numbered markers in a nearby graveyard. Some of these people are still believed to roam the grounds and many have reported their presence day and night. A tour guide speaks of an unseen finger pressing into his side and dragging across his back. A police officer reports uncharacteristic chills and staff and visitors talk freely of hearing voices to seeing full body apparitions.
Of the living visitors to the prison, famous people such as Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russel, Glenn Close and Dianne Keaton have been there to film Hollywood movies such as Air Force One, Tango & Cash, and Shawshank Redemption. OSR’s popularity is also appealing to the music industry for shooting videos such as “Awake” by Godsmack and “Go DJ” by Lil’ Wayne. You can see the renovated cells left behind after such filming. Many other cable specials and documentaries have also featured this historic site.
Tours are offered throughout the year, as well as overnight stay for ghost hunts and ghost walks. But ghost hunts usually sellout as quickly as dates are announced. There’s a separate Halloween event where actors and props turn the building into a haunted house attraction. It is not to be confused with the ghost tours.
Special events, group tours or parties can also rent space at the prison to host their special events. The renovated Central Guard Room is a very spacious, towering room overlooking the East and West Cell Blocks, and is often rented for wedding receptions, parties, banquets and reunions seating as many as 225 comfortably with a dance floor. Business functions for 20 – 40 people are held in what used to be the Warden’s dining room. And the grounds may be rented for reunions, car or bike shows, company picnics and other purposes.
The Ohio State Reformatory is operated by the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society. It is located at 100 Reformatory Road in Mansfield, Ohio. To learn more, call (419) 522-2644 or log onto www.mrps.org.
By Frank R. Satullo, The OhioTraveler
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Wilmington, Ohio, is getting in on geocaching with a very special event, Cache-A-Ghost. This Halloween event is free and will involve about two miles of walking on sidewalks in haunted downtown Wilmington. It will begin at 2 p.m. on October 8, 2011.
What exactly is geocaching and what's the fascination? In the simplest terms, it's the recreational activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website. Similar to a treasure hunt in which players use personal, handheld GPS units to locate "treasures," typically nothing of real value is gained; it's all about the fun experience of this high tech hide-and-seek adventure. This popular hobby began in 2000 but grew as a result of the media, making the New York Times and CNN that fall. It didn't take long before people were biking, hiking, swimming, climbing, driving or canoeing to cachees all over the world. As of April, 2011, the number of geocaches approached 1.4 million. That figure constantly changes with thousands of caches being added on a daily basis.
Wilmington's Cache-A-Ghost will encompass a six by six block area. The coordinates for each of the caches will be passed out on cards at the beginning point. Participants will begin at different starting coordinates. Finding the first cache will provide the coordinates for the next cache as well as directions to a supply of Halloween swag, and so on. The final cache will have coordinates to the first one, making a complete circuit. Prizes will be awarded as participants return to the starting point with their filled score card and their complete collection of swag. There will be a raffle for a new Garmin GPS and giveaways will include items from local businesses and from Garmin.
Afterwards, participants will meet the local paranormal investigators from OOPS (Ohio Organization of Paranormal Studies; ohorgparanormalstudies.com at downtown Cassano's Restaurant. OOPS has spent countless hours ghost hunting in the old buildings in historic downtown Wilmington and the surrounding area.
The entire event is located on
www.geocacheing.com. For more information, call Dan Stewart at 937-383-7323.
For more information contact the Clinton County Convention & Visitors Bureau,
877-428-4748 or email
dstamper
@clintoncountyohio.com.
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