AHOY MATEYS! On Saturday, July 13, 2024, more than 35 of Popeye's new SLAGA friends converged on the town of Chester, IL for the summer picnic, hosted by deancmeredith. Chester, situated on the bluff above the Mississippi River, is the hometown of Elzie C. Seger, the creator of Popeye. To date, there are more than 20 statues of Popeye's friends spread throughout the city, and geocache COs have utilized all of them for one multi cache or another and for the Adventure Labs in town.
Picnic day was a hot one! Temperatures were in the low 90s but the high humidity made it feel hotter. The picnic attendees were very thankful that Dean graciously provided 2 fans (one a mister) and some freshly cut watermelon. They enjoyed the shade of a large shelter in the beautiful Cole Memorial Park, along with the lovely scenery, convenient parking, bathrooms and of course nearby geocaches. Folks socialized, talked all things geocaching, discovered or grabbed trackables, ate their lunches, and hunted down caches in the park as well as around town.
At any one time, there were 10 to 20 attendees enjoying each other's company at the shelter. Arson the lizard and Jasper the dog joined in the fun as well. As some cachers would venture away from the shelter to go caching, other attendees would arrive, some from the earlier and highly praised Bellefontaine Cemetery Tour Event held back in St. Louis. This summer picnic was a bit of a 'revolving door' gathering with cachers coming and going, but it was tons of fun in a truly welcoming and interesting town. Smiles and smileys graced the cachers in attendence.
SLAGA folks had a great time in the 'Home of Popeye,' but BLOW ME DOWN, even more people visit Chester for different city and Popeye festivals. It seems Popeye fans will travel from all over to enjoy weekend activities in Chester. And as his pal Wimpy says, "Popeye, you are the gem of the ocean," so a visit to Chester, IL is a must if you're intested in some Popeye themed fun. If you didn't get a chance to come to the SLAGA summer picnic (or just want to spend more time in town), consider visiting Chester either during an upcoming city event, or just a fun geoday anytime with friends!