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-mails while charging, although we cannot guarantee that Wi-Fi Internet 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 (using bolt cutters).
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! This year, FIVE individuals have qualified as TOOTs. (Statistics are as of last year’s OTR, not overall TRA membership.)
Grounds: Tireless volunteer volunteers groom our site year-round. Please clean up after yourself, and leave your campsite better than when you found it. Dumpsters are provided along Old Timers Road.
Ice: You can procure yourself some ice at the First Aid Station and at the Gate. Ice tickets can be purchased at the First Aid Station, Registration and the OTR Merch tent. The Gate crew accepts tickets only for ice purchases, and the First Aid Station accepts tickets or cash. Got it? Now go make me a margarita!
Lost & Found: It’s located at Registration. Similarly, if you find something, please give it to a Security team member or bring it yourself to Registration. And thanks! Most items left behind after OTR has ended 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).
OTR Themes: Beginning around 2000, Old Timers Reunion has followed an overall fun ‘theme’ (decided by the Chair) as a way to drive the decorations, music, merchandise and other fun activities outside of the regularly scheduled OTR activities. Here’s a list of some of them: Golden Anniversary (50th OTR, 1999), 2001: A Cave Odyssey (alien-related), A Look Back, Casino, Pirates of the Carabiner (pirate theme), Light Up the Night (lots of night-time activities), Tex-Mex, Masters of the Night (early halloween), Knights of the Blue Moon (Medieval/Monty Python Holy Grail), Oktoberfest, Cavestock (Woodstock), Western theme (with Blazing Saddles influence), College frat theme (Animal House influence), early Christmas, and “Celebrating the 70’s”, a nod to the 70th OTR. The theme for the 71st OTR in 2020 & 2021 was going to be “Celebrating Appalachia: Hatfields and McCoys” with an emphasis on the Appalachia Heritage of music and dance. The 71st OTR was cancelled in 2020 & 2021 due to issues related to COVID-19. The 71st OTR in 2022 celebrates the return to our annual reunion and gathering together as a family of cavers. The “Family Reunion” for the 71st OTR in 2022 reminds us of why we gather together year after year.
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. If someone helps you move a table, please offer a thank-you gift of some sort (reminder: the universal Caver Currency is beer!). Picnic tables left at campsites after OTR will be considered abandoned and may be sacrificed to the bonfire.
River Activities and Protocol: You wanna get wet? We’re fortunate to have a lazy, shallow river where you can splash and play to your heart’s delight. Just please use the new River Access stairs for ingress and egress. This especially applies to the Sunday River Party, when the stairs at the River Stage are closed off (due to the band and the large number of people). As you hopefully know full-well by now, please do not bring GLASS containers to the river, and leave nothing behind when you leave.
Showers: Our shower buildings continue to receive big and small ongoing upgrades, including a complete makeover the past two years, thanks to the efforts of a talented team of TRA Volunteers who possess a variety of construction skills. This year’s upgrade includes a new, covered walkway between the buildings. BTW, the showers are closed twice daily for cleaning. Be sure to thank any TRA Volunteers or shower cleaning staff when you use the facilities.