NorthWest Arkansas Cachers

OK one of the board members on Arkgeocaching.org brought up Monthly dinner meet and greets and a board member to be involved. Since I'm a Board member I LOVE the idea so here it goes what would be a good time and day of the month for a meeting in Fort Smith and NWA(aka Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville). If we can get a day of the month I'll find a place to have ot and will be there.

In Fort Smith I can do it ANY day in NWA I'm there 4 days a week so just about anything is possible.


I'm thinking in NWA starting on the 3rd every month and in Fort Smith the 19th. What does everyone think and the would start at 6 or 7.

Lets here from everyone so we can get a good date if these are not good I can get the cache pages started.

I think its an idea long past its time. Having it on a particular date would rotate the days of the week to some extent and may enable more participation. The other option is to do it sort of like they do in Beaumont TX. (First Mondays in Beaumont).

I do think that itheyneed to be simple, informal and short. We were doing something like this in San Antonio, and after a few months people started losing interest. So, maybe one month Ft. Smith, the next NWA. Or, maybe quarterly would be often enough.

Yea I tried that and it did not work the last time I had one there was 4 people there doing the alternating.

Anybody else interested in this? Let's let stickerdude know.

One place I travel to has a weekly meeting. It is not formal. It is just who ever shows up. Frequently hunters will form teams and go out for the day. Here is that cache http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=fb996fec-209a-4a68-bb7c-5eeedaf7d25a. Folks seem to have a pretty good time. I am not able to attend it because I am there on business but I have knowledge about. I see many posts of teams formed at the OMG Lunch and just fo out for the day.

How about having a weekly in NWA and the River Valley and a monthly or quarterly of the two. They just started it and it grew to an event. Like they say, start it and they will come.

Rddemps I started doing monthly meetings and I alternated them one in NWA one month and the next month it was in the river valley. The first few were good but the last one was at AQ Chicken House in Fayetteville and I think there was 5 of us there. I would love to see it happen and I would love to help put them on.

Tulsa has a meeting every month and its pretty cool everyone meets to eat and them they go on their way out caching. I think OKC does it too.

My .02 I think the 90 miles is the killer. I think if the meetings were either in the middle or have seperate meetings it would do better. I think two groups are better instead of one but only because of distance.

I could find time to travel through BVL-RGRS-SDALE-FVILLE. With my schedule, FSM would be pushing things. I am sure there are those in FSM that are the same coming here. I do think it would be fun to cache with others in a nearby area like FSM.

I have posted a meeting at noon this Saturday at N 36 22.366 W 094 12.540. I don't expect much turn out. Mainly due to the premiere of Bobby Petrino and the freshmen this Saturday. I probably should have set Sunday as the day. Nobody has responded yet.

I will be gone the next weekend so i will not try to organize one but I will the weekend after. I don't expect a lot of success early on, much like you have experienced so far. But I figure if I throw the bait out often enough, eventually I will get some bites.

There are more than enough hunters in both areas. I think the key is to just keep putting something out there. I have tried to organize a meeting and you have. With two people trying to get a meeting going, I think the chances double of a meeting being successful.

Just so you know, since we got here 18 months ago, the only events attempted were hosted by us. Both had great turn-outs, but you were probably too new to caching to have made either of them.

One of the big problems in my mind is that there are few, if any, dedicated geocachers in the area. More in Ft. Smith than in the FAY-RGRS-B'VILLE area, but still, not many.

What we'd been trying to do is to use the meet and greet format to latch onto the new cachers and get them excited. Limited success, I'd have to say.

Also, the participation on this forum is not what it really could be, and I would highly suggest trying to create an event for most meetings. That, at least, gets the word out in front of the new cachers who don't know about these forums yet.

We will try to see you this weekend, just need the when and where. (Forget the coords, where's the place. We're tied to our GPS enough without looking for a restaurant with it)

I'm planning on going Saturday as well, and I agree, what's the restaurant? hehe (my request is more out of laziness, not being tied to the GPS...)

As far as monthly meetings go, I'm sure there are several in the river valley area that would come up here just for the social aspect of the meeting, and don't really worry about it being an hour or so away. The only reason I wouldn't come is if it's during the week because I work nights. And even then, depending on the night and the location, I may sneak away anyway

Also....... NWA has lots of cachers that don't frequent these discussion boards and don't look for meeting events.

Some of my favorite cachers that I correspond with online are ones that I have never met in person, yet they're actively caching, and were into geocaching before I got started 2 years ago. And usually I find it's because they simply don't know about the events for one reason or another.

Perhaps if we set up a meeting we could challenge each person to invite 3-5 people that are not active on this forum, or someone they've never met. How does that sound?

The restaurant is The Station Cafe on the Bentonville Square. Just cut and paste the co-ord into google earth and it will go right to it. There is a google earth label on it.

Challenging some people to recruit people is a turn off to them and may alienate them towards the group. I know people that quit organizations because they felt uncomfortable recruiting. For some, recruiting is no big deal and they enjoy it. While it makes others terribly uncomfortable. Those that feel comfortable bringing folks into the group should. I don't have the problem. I will bring in everybody interested but I won't pursue them.

Advertising is not the big a deal. You already have a captive audience coming to you. You put out a cache, people literally beat a trail to it. Put flyers for events in them. You will reach everybody that does not come to the board. I would rather be out doing something than be on my laptop. I already spend 8+ hours a day on one.

The Waynesville OMG lunch is listed as a cache but when you read the details, you see that it is really daily meeting for lunch for cachers to meet. Reading through the logs I see where many people went there for lunch and made a caching team. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=fb996fec-209a-4a68-bb7c-5eeedaf7d25a I think daily may be a bit much for around here.

I think just a standing event will draw a crowd. I have seen it work in one spot. Then from there it would get even easier to make other events.

Just my .02

Doug

FYI, the Waynesville meeting you're referencing is and "Event Cache". Specifically designed to get a group together. Being listed as a cache, those folks who are just casual cachers see it listed and many times make plans to attend -- then become hooked.

I think howlingmoon would agree that the timing of the NWAC Meet and Greet was very helpful to her in getting a good start caching.

Post it on here, a dozen people will see it. List it as an event and thousands see it. That's what makes OMG and TAG successful. (Plus the fact that different people step up and host the events)

My 2.5 cents worth

You're right. That is what makes them successful.