Date and Time: The event always happens at the same time of year every year: 12 noon on Thursday to 12 noon on Monday of Labor Day weekend. For 2025, the dates are Thursday, August 28, through Monday, September 1. It is important to note that attendees ARE NOT allowed on the campground prior to noon on Thursday and must depart the property by noon on Monday.
Caving at OTR: TRA’s Insurance prevents OTR from offering OTR-sponsored cave trips, but this shouldn’t stop attendees from organizing their own cave trips! Check the OTR Off-Site Activities Guide (available at Registration) for nearby caves. In addition, you can check the Activity Board near the Event Tent for posted trips. If you go caving, please fill out a Caver Alert Inforation Sheet (CAIS) and leave it with an Emergency Contact at OTR before you leave the site. Your Emergency Contact should be someone reliable who is not going on the trip. Clothing and equipment must be decontaminated before and after use, due to WNS. In any case, be a good Caver, use the CAIS, and cave responsibly!
Charging Station: The only spot where electricity is available to OTR attendees is the Charging Station, located on Old Timers Road (the main entrance road) between Sinking Street and Borehole Road. You can plug your device into an electric outlet, then secure it in a locker while charging (bring your own charger and lock). There’s also a work station shelf where you can check your e-mail while charging, although we cannot guarantee that Wi-Fi will always be available. Please retrieve your item within a few hours. OTR and TRA are not responsible for the security of your device, and we may have to cut off unattended locks after 24 hours. Please note that our power grid does not have the capacity to charge EVs.
COOT-ROOT-TOOT meaning: OTR has established ceremonial designations based on how many OTRs you have attended. ‘COOT’ stands for Certified Original Old Timer, someone who has attended 20 OTRs or more. By last count, our membership includes 341 COOTS. The ‘ROOT’ designation honors those Real Original Old Timers who have attended 40 plus OTRs with 92 ROOTs in our ranks. Finally, the esteemed title of ‘TOOT’ (Terrifically Original Old Timer, or Truly Original Old Timer) is an individual with 60 or more OTRs under their belt — quite an achievement!
First Aid: Located at the end of Vendors Row, the OTR First Aid Station is staffed by experienced and dedicated volunteers from a variety of medical disciplines. Anyone in medical distress or in need of first aid assistance should come to the First Aid Station (or contact Security for assistance). You can also purchase ice and redeem ice tickets at the First Aid Station.
Grounds: Tireless TRA volunteers spend countless hours year-round grooming our site and maintaining our campground. Please help out by cleaning up after yourself and leaving your campsite better than when you found it. Dumpsters are provided along Old Timers Road.
Ice: Ice is available onsite as a convenience for all of our attendees. Purchase ice tickets at the First Aid Station, Registration, or the OTR Merch Tent. Redeem your ice tickets at the First Aid Station and at the Gate. The Gate Crew accepts only tickets (no cash) for ice purchases, and the First Aid Station accepts tickets or cash.
Lost & Found: It’s located at Registration. Similarly, if you find something, please give it to a member of the Security team or bring it yourself to Registration. And thanks! Most items left behind after OTR will be discarded, although some valuables are retained. If you get back home after OTR and find you’re missing something, contact the Chair (chair@otr.org).
Medical Devices: Access to electrical service may be available for those who require electricity for approved medical devices, such as CPAPs. To request permission, bring your medical device to First Aid for verification and complete the Medical Device Electricity Usage form agreeing to the terms of medical electricity usage. ONLY First Aid Crew Chief Phil Goldman or his designee may grant permission.
OTR Themes: Starting after the 50th reunion in 1999, the chairpersons of Old Timers Reunion have selected an overall theme as a way to drive the decorations, music, merchandise, and other fun activities outside of the regularly scheduled OTR activities. Some of the themes over the years have been A Look Back, Casino, Pirates of the Carabiner, Light Up the Night, Tex-Mex, Masters of the Night, Knights of the Blue Moon, Oktoberfest, Cavestock, Wild, Wild West Virginia, OTR Christmas, and Steampunk. More recent OTR themes are listed here:
- 2019 – 70th OTR – Celebrating the 70’s
- 2020 & 2021 – OTR Canceled due to COVID
- 2022 – 71st OTR – Family Reunion
- 2023 – 72nd OTR – The Roaring 20’s
- 2024 – 73rd OTR – Caves, Cavers & Caving
- 2025 – 74th OTR – Cavers in Wunderland: Down the Rabbit Hole
Picnic Tables: OTR does not provide any picnic tables for individual use. The ones you see people take to their campsites belong to them or their grotto. Do not take any of the OTR tables without permission of the OTR Chair. Picnic tables left at campsites after OTR will be considered abandoned and may be sacrificed to the bonfire.
River Activities and Protocol: You want to get wet? We’re fortunate to have a lazy, shallow river defining one border of our property, where you can splash and play to your heart’s delight. Please use the concrete River Access stairs for ingress and egress — especially on Sunday during the River Party, when the stairs at the River Stage are closed off. Note that the river is our property boundary, and the banks on the other side are someone else’s property. Please stay off the opposite river bank. Please do not bring glass or other breakable containers to the river, and please leave nothing behind when you leave.
Security: Perhaps the most important element of any large gathering is the Security Team. We all want to have fun at OTR, and our Security Team is there to keep us all safe. Their job is to worry about everyone’s safety so we can enjoy ourselves. Remember, we’re all on the same team here! Our Security staff is here to help in your time of need, whether it be escorting you back to your tent for some shut-eye, assisting with some unforeseen emergency, or settling trivial arguments. Tim Ayers is our Security Chief; he and his Security staff work hard for all of us. Keep in mind that our Security Team is all-volunteer. If you see someone without an ID badge who might be crashing our party, notify Security rather than confront the person.
Showers: Our shower buildings were constructed 100% by a hardworking and talented team of TRA Volunteers who possess a variety of construction skills. The showers are closed for one hour each day for cleaning. Be sure to thank any shower cleaning volunteer when you see them.
Trash: Refuse and recycling always are significant at large gatherings like OTR. Please collect your trash at your campsite and deposit it in the dumpsters along Old Timers Road as you leave the site. Please take home any recyclable items; resist the urge to just throw recyclables in the dumpster!