75th Old Timers Reunion
Picture this: The year was 1950. The NSS was only nine years old. And cavers throughout the region were busy discovering and exploring caves in West Virginia. Robbie Robertson organized a small end-of-summer gathering at the Worden Hotel in Davis, West Virginia, to bring cavers to the area and to honor Felix Robinson, who had recently recovered from a prolonged illness. The inaugural event drew 45 cavers, who gathered to celebrate Robinson, go caving, and share their tales of cave exploration. The event was such a resounding success that the September, 1950, NSS News reported, “…the group unanimously voted to repeat it every Labor Day as an NSS Pilgrimage to Davis.”
Over the years, OTR grew, evolved, and changed locations a few times, but 75 reunions later, true to our roots, the party continues!
Join us at OTR 2026, where we will come together for the 75th time to once again celebrate what unites us as cavers.
OTR 75: The Original Underground Party; Come as you were!
Choose your favorite theme, costume, or moment from any OTR in the past, and reimagine it in your own way! Resurrect costumes from your OTR costume closet; reprise the best DooDah Parade entries from years gone by; dress up your campsite to display your favorite campsite decorations of the past. You can even reprise Wunderland if you like!
Long-time OTR attendees will have no trouble reaching into their personal way-back machines to draw on their own rich histories of OTRs gone by. New OTR attendees are invited to choose from any of our past themes and imagine what it was all about! The themes started in 2000, but even before then, the DooDah Parades were a vast display of caver creativity. Here’s a link to all of our previous OTR themes.
To get in the spirit of remembrance, all of our former OTR chairs have been challenged to reprise one of the themes from when they were chair and to organize their grottoes and campsites around it. We will no doubt see a Steampunk resurgence to represent OTR 69. But will we also see a Haunted Castle representing OTR 62 and 63? Will we see a Pirate of the Carabiner (Ahoy, matey!) representing OTR 59? Will Octoberfest (OTR 64) and Cavestock (OTR 65) be reimagined as Octoberstock?
Several attendees have already reported that they plan to dress up as a different OTR theme each day! And a reliable source has advised that Scum Ridge is making plans to bring back Scum-a-lot!
What’s on tap for the 75th OTR?
The OTR theme team has been hard at work planning for how to make your 75th OTR experience one to remember!
Thursday night, after the Opening Ceremony and annual Memorial Tribute,our festivities kick off with the Virgin Welcome at dusk followed immediately by the Bonfire Lighting and the Virgin Reception to welcome all of our newcomers!
On Friday evening, team up with your grotto mates and join us in the Pavilion for a special OTR Trivia Night. Stick around for a high-energy performance by Jeremy Short delivering his own unique blend of gritty blues, deep funk, and Southern soul that he affectionately calls Appalachian Space Funk.
On Saturday, Contests will challenge contestants to feats of strength and caving skills, the Bubbles Fun Run will once again roam the campground to honor the legacy of the legendary Bubbles, and the 3rd annual Caving Festival will fill the pavilion with fun, laughter, and activities for all ages against the backdrop of the home-grown sounds of local musical duo Tim White and JB Stalnaker. Later, the DooDah Parade will again step off the in the evening, followed by an exciting night of musical entertainment by Steely Dan cover band Not Reely Dan and crowd favorite Queen City Funk and Soul playing familiar favorites for us to dance the night away. Saturday’s after-dark activities will also feature a special 75th Reunion Fireworks* show!
On Sunday, check out the Yard Sale, vote in the TRA Election, and then make your way to the River Party, where The Jugbusters return to the River Stage for the second year in a row!
Throughout the weekend, don’t miss the Event Tent, the Museum, the Sauna area, the Wildside, Cooters, and other special spots where you can learn, create, imbibe, play, relax, and socialize! Finally, don’t miss your opportunity to volunteer to help make all this magic happen!
*Note: As much as we wanted the Fireworks to be a big surprise for all attendees, we are aware of and sensitive to the reality that some of our attendees may suffer from PTSD or other trauma. For this reason, we are proactively advising all attendees that Fireworks are on tap for Saturday night so that you can come prepared with appropriate hearing protection or take whatever measures you need to protect your own mental health.