The DC Grotto and Potomac Speleological Club invite you to the Spring 2003 meeting of the Virginia Region of the NSS. The event will be held at the site of the annual Old Timers Reunion near Dailey, WV, on May 9-11, 2003. There will be caving, dinner, a program, a party, and generally a good time in relaxed atmosphere

Why Attend? If you are new to caving, or you have never attended a VAR meeting, this is a great way to meet other cavers, see some new caves, check out the vendors, and see what is happening in the Region.

Camping & Facilities: The Old Timers Reunion site hosts 2,000 cavers for OTR each year so there is plenty of room for camping. There are hot showers, city water, and portable toilets. Unfortunately, it will be too early in the season to have the sauna & hot tubs operational. There are no electric or sewer hookups. No pets are allowed on the site.

Special Cleanup Trip: The conservation project at this VAR will be to clean Sharps Cave, a 2-mile cave located about an hour’s drive south of the campground. Participants will also have the opportunity to tour the cave while helping to clean it. Lunch will be served to workers outside the cave.

Cave Trips: There will be several led trips to caves relatively close to the campground. Most of these trips are suitable for novices and all will return in time for dinner. There will be signup sheets at registration. There will also be a guidebook describing the area’s caves and driving directions to them for those who wish to go caving on their own.

Saturday Dinner: Dinner on Saturday will be catered by Koonie’s Road Kill Grill. The menu for carnivores will be slow-cooked beef BBQ, but there will also be a vegetarian option.

Saturday Evening Program: After dinner on Saturday there will be a presentation by Craig Stihler on bats in West Virginia. Craig works for the WV Dept. of Natural Resources and is an expert on the bats in the state.

Vendors: We expect to have several speleo-vendors and this will be a good opportunity to purchase cave related items.

Directions: The campground is located off US 219 about 10 miles south of Elkins, WV. If you are coming from the north go south on US 219 for about 8.5 miles after the stoplight at US 33 on the south side of Elkins. Turn left after the huge Bruce Hardwood factory onto Back Road 38. The campground is on the right in about a mile. From the south go about 8 miles north of Mill Creek and turn right on Back Road 38 after you pass through the hamlet of Dailey.

VAR Business Meeting: The VAR business meeting will be at 9 AM on Sunday. Everyone is welcome to attend.

More Info: Check the latest VAR information at www.psc-cavers.org/springvar2003.html. If you have any questions please contact Bob Hoke at (301)725-5877 or bobhoke@erols.com.

MAR Meeting: The Mid-Appalachian Region (MAR) will also be hosting their spring meeting in conjunction with the VAR meeting. This is not a "joint VAR/MAR meeting", but the two groups will be sharing the campground, cave trips, Saturday dinner, and Saturday evening activities. You can register for either the VAR meeting or the MAR meeting. The fee for the MAR registration is $2 more than VAR registration. VAR gets $3 from each VAR registration and MAR gets $5 from each MAR registration. The remainder of both registration fees goes to pay meeting expenses. Anyone registering for one group may opt to subscribe, for the appropriate fee, to the newsletter for the other group at registration. (VAR $3, MAR $5). If you want to register for the VAR meeting you can download the registration form in PDF or Microsoft Word format. If you want to register for the MAR you can get additional information at the MAR web site "www.caves.org/region/mar". If you want to subscribe to the other region's newsletter you can do so at registration.