CIGA

Geocaching with CIGA

EVENTS

May 25 GEO-PIE-STOCK 2025, Goodfield
Jun 7 CIGAAMIG 25 Year Picnic CCE, East Peoria

SOUVENIRS

2025 hider: Jan 1 - Dec 31
2025 Community Celebration Event, Jan 1 - Dec 31
25 Locationless Cache, Jan 25 - Dec 31
Cache In Trash Out®, Season 1: March 1–May 31
Treasures: March 17
Back to Nature Theme, Mar 26 - Jun 5
Geocache in your Pajamas Day: April 16
Blue Switch Day: May 2-4
Blue Switch Day Hider: May 1 - 31
June Solstice: June 20-22
Hidden Gems Theme, Jun 25 - Sep 5
International Geocaching Day: August 16
Cache In Trash Out®, Season 2: September 1-November 30
World Postcard Day: October 1
Blast from the Past Theme, Oct 1 - Dec 5
International EarthCache Day: October 10-12
Adventure Day: October 17-19
Geocaching International Film Festival (GIFF): November 6-16
Farewell 2025: December 24-31

CIGA on Facebook

GIFF Returns for 2025

The Geocaching Film Festival (GIFF) is back for 2025. Geocachers can submit their own videos May 6 to July 31. Check for rules, such as a limit to length. They will be shared November 6 to 16. A GIFF event earns a 2025 GIFF souvenir.

New Themes for 2025

In another way to celebrate 25 years of geocaching, HQ has announced quarterly themes for placing and recognizing caches. The first quarter theme is Frogs (January 28 to March 5). To get the theme designation, fill in a nomination form.

Geocaching Adds Treasures

Starting in March, 2025, geocacaching will add a new feature called Treasures. They are digital collectibles that are available during a promotion period based up criteria for finds. Although the specifics have not been announced yet, those who played Signal's Labyrinth will have an idea of what to expect.

HQ Announces Souvenirs for 2025

To get ready for 2025, Geocaching HQ published the first list of planned souvenirs for the year. In addition to the usuals, there are some new ones. Discovering 2025 has requirements to log finds at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025. Geocaching in Your Pajamas Day in April 16.

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.

New Locationless Cache

Geocaching HQ has added a new locationless cache (GC9FAVE). The theme is a favorite place you discovered thanks to geocaching. Available August 17, 2022, to December 31, 2023. There are rules, like a photo (not an old one) that make some places hard to revisit.

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.

Published by the Central Illinois Geocaching Association to encourage geocaching in and around central Illinois

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