MOUNT VERNON — The 2021 Ohio GeoClash Festival takes place this weekend at the Knox County Fairgrounds, coinciding with Friday’s opening of a new geocaching trail along the Kokosing River.
Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunt that uses a Global Positioning System and online clues to help participants find caches, or hidden containers, according to the Knox County Parks website.
“People of all ages can come together, and it’s free,” said Katie Hux, administrative assistant for the Knox County Park District.
As of June 2, 418 geocachers from across Ohio and southern Michigan have registered to attend the festival hosted by the Ohio Geocaching Association from June 3 to 6, Hux said. The Knox County Park District chose to launch Knox’s new trail, known as the State Scenic River GeoTrail, with the festival to capture a wider audience.
“We’re hoping by having this trail and continuing to have these trails, that we’re bringing in people, not only visitors but also local people to recognize and explore Knox County,” Hux said.
The State Scenic River GeoTrail will add 10 caches to the Knox County Park District, which already includes 11 caches on the All Aboard GeoTrail. Approximately 100 additional geocaches will be hidden for the festival, Hux said.
Because the new trail is located along river access points, geocachers have the opportunity to kayak the trail as opposed to driving, Hux said. Participants can also learn about the Kokosing River through completing the trail.
“We as a park district have a QR code that we place in each geocache,” Hux said. “So once they locate it, if they scan that QR code that is the virtual component that gives them all the history of the Kokosing River and the various areas that they’ll explore.”
The launch date for the new trail, June 4, is significant, Hux said, although it was not planned.
“June 4 in 2005 was when the Kokosing River was designated as Ohio’s first water trail, and so here we are 16 years later — we are launching our first geotrail on the river.”
Participants can get discounts at over 25 local businesses this weekend with electronic coupons provided by the festival.
“These people are visiting. They may not know where things are,” Hux said, “and if we have a group of businesses that are specifically welcoming them to say ‘Hey, we’re glad you’re here. Come visit us. We’ll give you a discount.’ Then I think that’s a win-win for everyone.
If participants with the geocaching coupon buy one night at the White Oak Inn, for example, they will get another night free for a future visit, Yvonne Martin of the inn said.
Participants who would prefer to maximize time outdoors can stay at the Last of the Mohicans Campground, which will be offering a discount of $5 per site per night with the geocaching electronic coupon, Rose Rheef of the campground said.
Businesses offering discounts range from hotels, to restaurants, to shops.
The opening ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. June 4, during which geocaching association representatives will explain the rules before the geocaches for both the festival and Knox trail go live. Participants have until 4 p.m. on June 5 to turn in their game cards.
Non-trail-related events are offered during the evenings, including an early arrival get-together at Stein Brewing Company on June 3 and an ice cream party at Round Hill Dairy on June 4.
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