Geocaching with CIGA
EVENTS
Nov 25 WGLC 2024 1011, Champaign
Dec 8 Caching Christmas Event, Tuscola
Jan 25 Halfway 2 Bash, Peoria
SOUVENIRS
2024 hider: Jan 1 - Dec 31
Cache In Trash Out®, Season 2: September 1–November 30
December Solstice: December 20–22
Farewell 2024: December 24–31
Community Celebration Events Coming Back in 2025
The year 2025 represents the 25th year of geocaching. To celebrate, Geocaching HQ is reviving the Community Celebration Event. The events will be in 2025, but qualifications are in 2024. To be awarded a CCE event, a geocacher must have an account before February 20, 2024, place at least one cache in 2024 and host an event in 2024. HQ will start awarding up to 2,025 events per month starting July 1, 2024.
CITO is a Verb
Geocaching HQ has a resolved an occasional debate among geocachers ... how to pronounce CITO. It is not "sit-toe." Here is the official annoucement. "CITO verb [ˈsē ˈtō] To repair, restore, or improve your surroundings, both natural and built." Also, CITO is a verb, not a noun. It is part of the spring announcement of the CITO souvenir seasons in March/May and September/October/November.
Leap Day Souvenir
2024 is a leap year. There is a souvenir that can be earned for February 29. Note that you have to find four caches. Most any type works, regular geocaches, events, lab caches, in any combination that adds up to four finds.
New 2024 Souvenirs
The initial list of 2024 souvenirs has a some new additions, along with the familiar dates. Since the year is a leap year, there will be a souvenir for February 29. Others are World Postcard Day October 1, June Solstice June 19-21, and Decmber Solstice December 20-22.
GIFF 2023 on You Tube
Entries in the 2023 Geocaching International Film Festival can be viewed on You Tube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grFaQbmJSJQ&ab_channel=Geocaching.
New Round of Virtuals
Geocaching HQ has announced that 4000 more virtuals will be awarded sometime in 2024. To qualify for the random selection, there are requirements to be met, among them placing a new cache in 2023, along with other rules.
Group Photo Updated
The group photo at the top of the page has been updated for the June picnic in East Peoria. This one is year two of the MIG/CIGA clubs joining forces for an event.
GIFF is Back
After skipping last year, Geocaching HQ is bringing back the Geocaching International Film Festival for 2023. The actual festival will be in November. The announcement went out now to alert cachers to make a short geocaching related film. Details on submissions will come later.
Title Photo Updated
CIGA is getting back to holding events. So, the group photo at the top of the page has been updated to show the MIG/CIGA hot dog picnic in East Peoria. It was a two club event, supporting the Mid-Illini Geocachers.
Adventure Lab Caches Expanded
Adventure Lab Caches started as a test. Geocaching HQ awarded them on a limited basis, usually up to five locations comprising an adventure. Now, HQ has awarded an adventure (five locations) to every premium member, only premium members. To determine if you have a credit use your geocaching ID/password to log onto labs.geocaching.com/builder/adventures.
New Virtual Caches Awarded
April was a big month for the new virtual geocache. Congrats to those in Central Illinois who received an award, only 4000 worldwide. Geocaching HQ brought back virtuals, with no containers, on a test basis.
Peoria
C9P4QP PeoriaBill
GC9P59W Claystalker
GC9P570 Smiley Guy
Washington
GC9P633 Varofharken
Pekin
GC892NT NavMIke
Bloomington/Normal
GC7B65D gossamar
GC9P7GZ DireWolf821
DecatuR
GC7B80A Sixrows
GC9P5YP MNM1011
Champaign/Urbana
GC88YTY wolrab
Picnic and CITO Kick off 2022 Season
With COVID, there have been fewer geocaching events. There are hopes it might be changing. Mid-Illini Geocachers hosted a picnic in Washington, the first purely social event this year in Central Illinois. A CITO was held earlier in Peoria.
Hide a Cache, Earn a Souvenir
Geocaching HQ has added a 2022 digital souvenir to encourage placing a cache. Earn one souvenir for adding a new geocache hide or event that is published through December 31, 2022.
New Home for CIGA on the Web
CIGA has a new Web URL and a new look. The site is rebuilding the pages it used to have. The shortcut cigacache.org now points to the new address. The Web site is findable on Google Chrome. However, a search may not work on other search browsers.
Pantagraph Features CIGA and Geocaching
Bloominton-Normal newspaper The Pantagraph ran a feature on geocaching with CIGA board member Tom Gossamar Hankins. The text and video story shows how to find and log caches.
Lackey Hosts Event
Emily (em_adventuring), a lackey at Geocaching HQ in Seattle, hosted an event in Bloomington, while visiting her hometown.
Peoria Ice Cream Social
There was a brief summer of optimism before another COVID surge came. During the apparent safe period, an ice cream social in Peoria drew cachers from various towns. COVID uncertainty has limited the number of local events.