MML - Maryland Life Geocache Dash!

[Calvertcachers]

During the past year, I have worked with the MML and Maryland Life magazine on a promotion featuring the MML Geotrail.
I am happy to announce.....

The Maryland Life Geocache Dash!
Take part in a statewide treasure hunt! You could win some fun prizes!
Beginning January 1, 2010!

The Maryland Municipal League and the Maryland Geocaching Society has partnered with Maryland Life magazine to foster new interest in discovering municipal geocaches along the Maryland Municipal League Geocache Trail. Even if you have already found the cache, visit again and pick-up a coupon sheet to play.

How the Geocache Dash Works:

During 2010, each of the six issues of Maryland Life will feature two or three cities or towns for you to discover and enjoy. For the January/February issue, we encourage you to escape “cabin fever” and explore the historic towns of Sykesville and La Plata. Enjoy each town and visit participating businesses—you could win some cool prizes!

How to Play:

1. Visit http://www.MarylandLife.com, the MGS site or read Maryland Life to pick up the GPS coordinates of the towns and their caches. Coordinates for the “Cabin Fever Dash” are listed on pages 46 and 47.

2. During each contest, visit the towns and locate the cache. The “Cabin Fever Dash” runs from January 1 to March 15, 2010.

3. The caches will contain coupon sheets listing the participating businesses in each town. Take one sheet, visit the participating businesses (and eat and/or shop while you’re there!), and have your coupon stamped by each one.

4. Turn in the stamped coupon sheet at a specially designated box at each town’s Town/City Hall.

5. Each contestant who completes the dash is eligible to win a prize. If more than one contestant completes the dash, a drawing will be held to select the winner.
Prizes for the January/February issue include:
a. Sykesville: an overnight stay for two at the Inn at Norwood.
b. La Plata: a $50 gift certificate to the Crossing at Casey Jones restaurant.

6. In addition, each participant (individual, family, or group) who completes the dash wins a free six-month subscription to Maryland Life (limit one per family).

7. Complete three or more dashes during the year and receive a complimentary annual subscription to Maryland Life (limit one per family).

8. Contestants who complete the most dashes throughout the year will be entered into a drawing for the grand prize! An overnight stay and spa package at the Hotel at Turf Valley in Howard County.

For questions on the contest details/rules, email: Ross at MarylandLife.com.

[CodyHollowFarm]

COOL!!!!!

[SeeKPeeKRs]

Totally awesome! I can't wait! It looks like Mr. SeeKPeeKRs and I will be taking some weekend, getaway trips in 2010.

Awesome job .... thanks for setting this up Sue. This is truly what geocaching is all about. Great news!

[SeeKPeeKRs]

I can't wait for my 1st issue of Maryland Life to arrive .... I just submitted my subscription.

[woodysix8]

It's a great magazine that integrates well with geocaching.

Thanks Sue!!

[The9Searchers]

We can't wait!!!

[Snurt]

Excellent work! The MGS remains on the cutting of edge of partnering to promote this terrific outdoor pursuit. Well Done!

[Cyberkids]

The grand prize is out of this world!!! L won a free night at the Turf Valley Resort from the Baltimore Sun Newspaper. When we added massages and dinner, it made for a great weekend!! Better start dashing early and often for the grand prize!!

Cyberkids

[TheWeatherWarrior]

I see yet another example of geocaching being used for commercial gain. I guess it's time I start selling my products on geocaching.com, and put up caches in front of businesses and name the cache after that business (and make some money from the business off the side). Better yet, I should name a cache "WeatherWarrior.Net" and put items for sale right on the cache page. Maybe I should have a magazine so that I can get a series of caches named for it too, and get folks to buy subscriptions. Hmmmm.....sure seems like the rules I remember don't apply anymore.

[marmon69]

I applaud the MGS and all of it's supporters for all of the work that has gone into giving geocaching a positive light in the worlds eye. This is a great group and I have had alot of great times seeing, meeting and just hanging out with fellow cachers...and oh yeah, caching! I always look forward to what the MGS is up to and the hurdles that are surpassed to bring our sport to a new level...Thank you so much.

And there are other hobbies out there if you don't care for this one.

[The9Searchers]

WE are big fans of the Maryland Municipal League, the Maryland Geocaching Society, and Maryland Life magazine. We are also big fans of geocaching, traveling, and ... prizes. How great that we can combine all of these things into a day (or several days) of fun! Geocaching and "challenges" like this one give us an excuse to leave our little spot in the world and travel to parts of Maryland that we would never have otherwise visited. Will we spend money to eat and money for gas when traveling to these spots? Yes. We figure it's worth it though. Instead of spending the day at our house with everybody doing their own thing ... we are locked together in a vehicle for several hours with nothing better to do than actually talk to each other and visit together. We then visit new locations and see beautiful sites together and in turn make memories. In a day and age where children spend too much time watching TV and playing video games and families rarely talk .... we're thankful that there's a pro-family activity like this out there for us. The amount of money that it costs to take part in this activity and "challenges" like this (food, gas, magazine cost) seem like a small price to pay in the long run. The sites we see, memories we make, and time we spend together are .... priceless.
WE want to personally thank everyone who has worked so hard to put this Dash together.

[MotherWolf]

ok

[TheWeatherWarrior]

It's a shame some folks only seem to be able to find fault with what is done around them.

So basically I'm not allowed to question something, especially when I think it is violating the rules:

[quote"geocaching.com"]
Caches that Solicit

Solicitations are off-limits. For example, caches perceived to be posted for religious, political, charitable or social agendas are not permitted. Geocaching is supposed to be a light, fun activity, not a platform for an agenda.

Return to the Table of Contents
Commercial Caches

Commercial caches will not be published on geocaching.com without prior approval from Groundspeak. A commercial cache is a geocache listing or geocache which is perceived by Groundspeak, Groundspeak's employees, or the Volunteer Geocache Reviewers as having been submitted to geocaching.com with the principal or substantial intent of soliciting customers or generating commercial gain. The geocache is presumed to be commercial if the finder is required to go inside a business, interact with employees, and/or purchase a product or service, or if the cache listing has overtones of advertising, marketing, or promotion.

Additionally, links to businesses, commercial advertisers, charities, political or social agendas, or the inclusion of their associated logos are not permitted on cache descriptions without prior permission from Groundspeak.
[/quote]

Again, geocaching originally did not allow such and were very strict about it. I was just saying I find it interesting how geocaching is quickly becoming commercialized. The slippery slope before too long everyone will have to pay a subscription (I noticed they took the month to month membership option away), and will require $400 plus GPS units and will be riddled with ads. I've noticed how many folks still put business cards, pens, magnets, etc. advertising their business into caches too (which I throw out if I see it since that too is against the rules).

Yet again, you made a false assumption that I wasn't appreciative of the effort of the folks to put it together. I am just concerned that geocaching is becoming too commercialized. I appreciate and have enjoyed three MML caches so far, and plan on doing the 2010 series as well, I just will make sure to NOT patronize the businesses and will not my displeasure of such. While I know a private forum doesn't have any freedom of speech, I do think folks should be able to voice an opinion and be able to discuss something without another just trying to belittle their point. So I have an opinion...so it may be different than yours...DEAL WITH IT, or discuss it with a real conversation, but don't pull this BS with me.

[woodysix8]

The MML geotrail is a concept trail. The organizers have kept Groundspeak in the loop to the best of my knowledge.

edit.... The MGS is not the cache police.

[Snurt]

Geocaching is a wondergful hobby/pastime. One can choose to participate or not. Like any hobby, geocaching and geocaching.com are ever evolving. A number of things haven't changed for me.

To whit: I still enjoy hiking and traveling to experiences and sights that would otherwise remain unkown. I am a richer person for the hundreds, many hundreds of friendships fostered around geocaching - wonderful, downhome unsophisticated folk who give and share, and enjoy the pursuit in like manner. Encountered on the trail or at events, local and statewide, the glue is friendship, the outdoors and geocaching.

The glue in Maryland is The MGS. This organisation has been cutting-edge since the beginning, fostering good relations with towns, municipalities, local and state parks, land and resource managers, law enforcement agencies, and in recent years, the National Park Service. It has sponsored seminars statewide and been represented at conventions and outdoor shows.

Groundspeaks guidelines are just that, and they maintain the option of permitting joint efforts and collaborations by the geocaching community with cities, towns, tourism and commericial endeavors. It's an outdoor adventure marriage that works. And if one doesn't want to purchase a good, service or sandwich, it isn't required (ie, Entry to the Science Center isn't required to attend the upcoming maze Event).

But to take on the role of cache box police by throwing out anything related to commerce (pens, keychains, fridge magnets, coupons, etc.) in my estimation is not far removed from stealing a cache. And The MGS as a Whole is Super-Incensed about Cache Medalling.

For a broader perspective, perhaps this thread should be moved to Groundspeak Forums.

[Moonpie10]

Snurt, your thoughts are well stated.

[EagleBlazer]

Geocaching is a wondergful hobby/pastime. One can choose to participate or not. Like any hobby, geocaching and geocaching.com are ever evolving. A number of things haven't changed for me.

To whit: I still enjoy hiking and traveling to experiences and sights that would otherwise remain unkown. I am a richer person for the hundreds, many hundreds of friendships fostered around geocaching - wonderful, downhome unsophisticated folk who give and share, and enjoy the pursuit in like manner. Encountered on the trail or at events, local and statewide, the glue is friendship, the outdoors and geocaching.

The glue in Maryland is The MGS. This organisation has been cutting-edge since the beginning, fostering good relations with towns, municipalities, local and state parks, land and resource managers, law enforcement agencies, and in recent years, the National Park Service. It has sponsored seminars statewide and been represented at conventions and outdoor shows.

Groundspeaks guidelines are just that, and they maintain the option of permitting joint efforts and collaborations by the geocaching community with cities, towns, tourism and commericial endeavors. It's an outdoor adventure marriage that works. And if one doesn't want to purchase a good, service or sandwich, it isn't required (ie, Entry to the Science Center isn't required to attend the upcoming maze Event).

But to take on the role of cache box police by throwing out anything related to commerce (pens, keychains, fridge magnets, coupons, etc.) in my estimation is not far removed from stealing a cache. And The MGS as a Whole is Super-Incensed about Cache Medalling.

For a broader perspective, perhaps this thread should be moved to Groundspeak Forums.

I couldn't have said it any better Snurt. a quote from our front page about us and our organization:

Maryland Geocaching Society (MGS). The purpose of our organization is to promote the sport of geocaching in Maryland by communicating with state and local parks, law enforcement, etc., and to provide information to the public about our activities and the sport of geocaching…. and you don’t need to be a Maryland resident to join!

We have certainly been on track with that and have even gone above it. We plan to continue with this statement.

[Calvertcachers]

There is an article in the Carroll County Times today about the Geocache Dash.

Sykesville Part of Geocache Treasure Hunt
For the first two months of 2010, Sykesville will be part of a statewide treasure hunt aimed at encouraging people to visit towns in Maryland.
Sykesville is among the first to be featured in a new geocaching contest sponsored by Maryland Life Magazine, which is based in Frederick, according to co-publisher Ross Peddicord.
Geocaching is an outdoor activity where people use Global Positioning Systems to locate a cache, or hidden storage container, with the geographic coordinates where it was placed.

Peddicord said he recently became familiar with the popularity of geocaching in Maryland and learned that the Maryland Municipal League launched a geocache trail last year to increase tourism economic growth in the state.

Linda Burrell, manager of member relations and education for MML, said the trail leads to 85 participating city and town caches in various areas of the state. Seven are in Carroll County, according to the association’s Web site.
“Since Jan. 1 [of 2009] there have been close to 14,000 discoveries of geocaches along the trail,” Burrell said.
Read more here:
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/artic ... sville.txt

[Snurt]

Nice !

[Bocco]

That's a great write-up, Sue. Thanks for sharing it