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41st Speleofest, 2012 41^st Speleofest, 2012

"Get’n Down Yonder in the Bluegrass"

General Information:

The Louisville Grotto invites you to join us in celebrating our 41^st year, with Speleofest 2012, held on May 25th through 27th at the "Lone Star Preserve" in Bonnieville, Kentucky. This event is our annual fundraiser to cover expenses for the operation and maintenance of the preserve and cave conservation efforts.

The Preserve will be opened Thursday May 24, after 2:00 pm (additional overnight fee) for those that wish to arrive early. This will give you an opportunity to find a good camping spot and meet your fellow caver neighbors. The theme this year will be "Caving in the Bluegrass", starting Friday evening with a "Moon Pie Welcome Party ",(decorated in hillbilly theme) along with bluegrass music, followed by the "Hillbilly Bat Bonfire." So come on down to the Bluegrass and sit a spell, kick your shoes off, chat with a new neighbor or two and celebrate 41years of caving in Kentucky with us. Registration opens Friday, May 25^th at 9:00 am.

There will be new caves added to the trip schedules. Kayak and canoe floats down the Green and Nolin Rivers are a great way to pass the time and enjoy some countryside scenery. Also, the Lone Star Salt Peter Cave is there for your leisure, to cool off and relax in..

Friday afternoon will have a few short cave trips offered close by, so you’ll have plenty of time to be back for the festivities. The wet-n-wild, DE-KON -Slide will be back as well. Friday evening will start with the "Moon Pie Welcome Party." Refreshments and finger foods will be served under the welcome tent, set up right next to the "Hillbilly Bat Bon-Fire".

Saturday morning, activities for the day include a climbing contest, geo-caching, kid games. "Forest Ecology and Wildlife Biology Tour": Presented by long time cavers Dr. Bill Pearson and Steve Gray (Off-Site) and "Edible Plants Field Trip": Presented by Sunshine Brewer. Walk the Preserve and learn about the many uses of the local plant fauna.

There will be an evening banquet under the shelter, featured guest speaker "Mud Puppy" talking on his latest trip into "Lechuguilla Cave", followed by Door Prize drawings. The Bluegrass Party starts around 10:00pm for some foot stomp’n good times. Yee-Haw !

For those that wish to stay up later than most, there will be a designated "Party Camp" area this year. See camp ground map for the designated location. Common courtesies toward your neighbor still apply. Extended party time is expected in this Camp, so plan accordingly.

Sunday we will have more caves and float trips available. Sunday evening will be our way of saying "Thank You" to all our fellow cavers with an Appreciation Wine and Cheese Social with music inside Lone Star Saltpeter Cave. The social is a good time to beat the heat, kick back and share caving stories with each other.

Don’t forget to stop by and see Bruce and Gini Smith at On Rope 1 vendor tent located in the valley. They will be open to meet all your caving gear needs. Shopping and site seeing opportunities abound just a few miles south of Bonnieville, Ky. in Cave City.

So make plans early and be part of this year’s "41st Speleofest, 2012"! Looking forward to seeing y’all there !

Jim Bobbitt, Speleofest Chair

***SPECIAL DISCOUNT Speleofest Event Tickets***

January 1st through March 31st

$5.00 savings per person for Adult Pre-registers

$2.00 savings for Young Adult, Scout or Pet Pre-registers

$2.00 savings per person for Child Pre-registers

***On April 1st, Prices revert to Full Registration Cost***

On- Line Registration ends May 18th

FULL REGISTRATION with Guidebook

Adult (18 and over) $33.00

Young Adult (13-17) $20.00

Children (7-12) (no guidebook) $14.00

Children (6-under) Free

Scouts $17.00

Pets $15.00 each (MUST BE ON LEASH AT ALL TIMES)

DAY-PASS – No Guidebook

Adult (18 and over) (no guidebook) $12.00

Young Adult (13-17) (no guidebook) $10.00

Children (7-12) (no guidebook) $7.00

Pets $5.00 each (MUST BE ON LEASH AT ALL TIMES)