July 22–26, 2026 · Wauseon, Ohio
At Midwest GeoBash this year, I appointed myself the DJ. Cache appointed himself the greeter. Of the two jobs, his came with more people willing to scratch him behind the ears.
It was Cache’s first Midwest GeoBash (GCB81HA), and he came along with bapierson, LEGOexplorer, and me for the rock-and-roll weekend at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Wauseon. I’d been coming to the Bash for years. I was curious how our four-legged roadie would take to a place where somebody was always walking by, getting ready to go somewhere, or standing around talking. As it turns out, all three of those activities suit a Labrador just fine.
The opening acts
We got started Wednesday at the Welcome Party (GCBGGER). Thursday brought the Opening Ceremony (GCBGGET) and the Ice Cream Party (GCBGGEX). The organizers had the lights going at the ceremony, and by then it felt like the whole fairgrounds had settled into its usual rhythm. Somebody would recognize a familiar face, a quick hello would turn into a conversation, and suddenly it was time to be somewhere else.
I wrote my event logs as if I were doing a live radio broadcast. At the ice cream party I called Cache our ice cream inspector. In his own event log, he had a simpler description of his job. Greet people, make friends, and collect attention. He stuck with that assignment all weekend.
Out on the road
We spent time away from the fairgrounds, too. On Thursday, bapierson, Cache, CanisMinor, 3birdsbravo, djpd1023, Team Darkseid, and I stopped at 911 First Responders Memorial ~ Last Call (GCAJHNV). The Virtual brought us to a bell and memorial honoring the people who answered the call on September 11. In the middle of a busy weekend, we took a moment to pay our respects.
Friday’s Poker Run Kickoff (GCBGGEW) gave us another reason to get out into the community. I remember enjoying the stops a whole lot more than I enjoyed my hand. Later we traded cards for conspiracy theories at the Tin Foil Hat Party (GCBGGF0). Cache’s log says he stuck with greeting people. There was plenty of creativity in the hats and costumes.
Saturday we were back on the country roads with the crew. Largest Tomato Soup Can (GCAJKEP) was one of those roadside stops that makes me glad I brought a camera. There’s a Team LEGOhead photo with the can way off in the background and Cache right where you’d expect him, up front.
One last group photo
We made it back for the Closing Ceremony (GCBGGF2), where the group photo gave the weekend a proper ending. There was still the Farewell Breakfast (GCBGGF3) on Sunday, which meant one more chance to sit down with friends before everyone headed home.
We logged TOLLS TOLLS TOLLS #1 (WB) (GCAPQBM) in Indiana that day, and our Michigan pit stop at WEK EVENT CACHE 2- Light it up,up,up (GC7TCDN) put Cache’s first Michigan find on the map. We went to the farmers market and stopped at Redamack’s before calling it a trip. Cache had a whole new state, a few more people to greet, and one last meal to supervise.
It took a lot of people to put the Bash together, and I’m glad we got to be there for another one. Cache’s Mega log says he made some new friends. Judging by how much attention he collected, I think he’ll be expecting a return engagement.
Field Notes
- Event · Midwest GeoBash 2026 (GCB81HA) · Fulton County Fairgrounds, Wauseon, Ohio
- Dates · July 22–26, 2026
- With me · bapierson, LEGOexplorer, and Cache_the_GeoDog, with CanisMinor, 3birdsbravo, djpd1023, and Team Darkseid on caching outings
- Theme · Rock & Roll Bash
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