MOGA Geocaching Coming to Owensboro

So, you’ve conquered your Netflix queue, spent way too much money on take-out, and you probably have an art project lying around that you never finished. Thankfully, MOGA is here to provide some much-needed relief for those of us going stir-crazy during the pandemic. MOGA, or the Midwest Open Geocaching Adventure, is one of the oldest and largestgeocaching events in the world, and its coming to Owensboro! Geocachers will travel from around the country to participate in the event at Yellow Creek Park and Rudy Mines Trails on Memorial Day Weekend, beginning Friday, May 28 through Monday, May 31.

Geocaching is an increasingly popular outdoor activity in which participants hunt and find hidden objects, or caches, using GPS coordinates. Geocachers connect online to find and hide their own treasures in unique locations with various levels of difficulty. The phenomenon is by no means new, but its popularity has picked up as people search for opportunities to go out into the real world again. You can connect with an online community, safely social distance in a Covid-19 world, and seize the opportunity for a little outdoor adventure all at the same time.

Geocaching is a free activity for everyone! For the first time ever, MOGA is FREE to register for anyone interested, competitor or spectator. However, you won’t be eligible to get a geocoin for free.  Just visit geocaching.com to create a free account, search for the event’s unique ID “GC91060”, and mark yourself as attending! As of January, over 400 people are planning to attend, and those numbers are expected to continue growing quickly. “Historically, our ‘will attend log’ accounts for only three-fifths of the actual turnout, and each log represents an entire household,” said Jesse Tuttle, executive director of AFK Geocaching. MOGA 2021 is beginning to look like one for the books!

The theme is “Bigfoot” this year, which means we’re celebrating Kentucky’s history of mysterious happenings – especially the legend of Bigfoot which dates all the way back to Daniel Boone! The main events occur on Sunday, but the experience is truly a weekend-long thrill. On Friday evening, start the weekend off with a kick-off party and costume contest! Gather all your activity info and swag bundles and prepare for the fun! Saturday is everyone’s chance to explore Owensboro with the Poker Run, solve the Event Mystery, enjoy the Barbeque, Bourbon, Bluegrass Geotour (bbbgeotour.com), and more! On Sunday, the competition begins! This day is jam-packed with exciting events. Pick from bicycle competitions, individual and team competitions, costume contests, and puzzle-solving challenges. Don’t want to compete? There are permanent caches placed for those who want to go at their own pace beginning Saturday. End the day with a closing ceremony where you can collect prizes and awards from throughout the weekend! On Monday morning, help clean up after the fun is done and enjoy a parting brunch. No matter your age or experience, MOGA has something fun for everyone.

We’re all excited for a chance to get out of the house, and “going out” has a totally different meaning now. Let’s go out on an adventure! Click here to stay up to date on event plans!