Upcoming
DC Grotto Meetings and Events
Saturday, December 7
DC Grotto Holiday Potluck Banquet
The Grotto's
annual Holiday Banquet will be at the Westleigh Recreation Center in
North Potomac, MD (near Gaitherburg). The banquet will be a potluck
event. The banquet will be simulcast on Zoom so everyone can enjoy. See
below for what you should bring.
All cavers are welcome. You don't to be a Grotto member to attend.
SPEAKERS: This year we will
have two speakers. Mike Ficco is a recipient of the 2023 NSS Lew
Bicking award. This is the highest NSS award for cave exploration and
mapping. Katarina Ficco has Ph.D. in Karstology and has experience in
many expeditions in the United States and Europe.
Mike and Katarina Ficco will give a double-header talk about
exploration in two of their favorite project areas. The first will
focus on discoveries in Virginia’s Powell Valley, home of the Omega and
Burja Cave Systems. This will be followed by the exciting results of
their Kučka Korita expeditions in Montenegro, where a high karst
plateau is slowly revealing its hidden secrets.
MEAL: The Grotto's Executive
Committee will provide the main dishes for the buffet. Others should
bring munchies or appetizers, side dishes, salads organized by the
first letter of your last name (see below). Fancy, ethnic or even home
cooked dishes are welcome, but not required. Carry-out, deli, or
grocery stores are alternate resources for non-cookers.
* Please
bring any serving utensils that your dish needs, and enough food to
serve about eight cavers.
* A microwave, refrigerator, and limited
stovetop space (no oven) will be available for heating dishes.
E-G Appetizer or chips & dip (please arrive early)
A-D, H-M Side dish (vegetable, salad, etc.)
N-Z Dessert
NOTE: BYO beer, wine, or ANY other beverages. (NO water, sodas or coffee provided this year, sorry!)
WHEN:
Saturday, December 7th
Social Hour 5:30-6:30pm
Dinner 7pm
Presentation 8pm
WHERE: Westleigh Recreation Club, 14900 Dufief Mill Rd, North Potomac, MD 20878
Link to location on Google Maps
We ask that everyone provide a $10 donation per adult. (The requested
donation goes to help pay the cost of renting the banquet room and
providing paper supplies for the
banquet).
The zoom meeting will begin at 5:30 pm. Click here to go to the Zoom meeting.
Saturday, December 28
Day trip to Whitings Neck Cave
This will be a day trip to Whitings Neck cave near Shepherdstown,
W. Va. This will be both a horizontal and vertical trip. There is a
20-foot drop to rappel, but the climb up can be completed without a full
vertical setup. Details will be sent to the Grotto's email list about a
week
before the trip.
Sunday, January 19
Grotto Social Meeting
The meeting will be at the Quarry House Tavern at 8401 Georgia Ave in
Silver Spring, MD. It's a 10-minute walk from the Silver Spring Metro
station. The meeting starts at 7:30 PM. This is an informal
meeting with friends, food, and beer. Check the Tavern's website at quarryhousetavern.com.
Sunday, February 16
Regular Grotto Meeting on Zoom
The Zoom meeting will begin at 7 PM for socializing and the
presentation at 7:30 PM. Anyone interested in caving is welcome to
attend. You don't have to be a Grotto member. The program has not been
determined. The Zoom link will be posted here and sent to the Grotto's email list about a week before the meeting.