Published: September 14, 2006 09:54 pm

Crawlathon makes tourism’s ‘Top Ten’

OLIVE HILL — The Crawlathon at Carter Caves State Resort Park, one of 52 parks in the state, made it in the “Top Ten” festivals and events for winter in a contest sponsored by the Kentucky Tourism Council.

The event, which takes place the last week in January, celebrated its 25th anniversary last year and continues to attract more and more participants, Coy Ansley said.

“The Crawlathon started in the early ’80s with about three guides and seven trips. Only about 30 people signed up that year,” he said. “Now we have between 100 and 120 volunteer guides and about 550 participants every year.”

A panel of impartial judges selects the Kentucky Tourism Council “Top Ten” events for each season. Criteria for selection include popularity of the event, its impact on the local tourism economy as well as cultural and historical significance.

Ansley, a park naturalist, said besides wild caving, canoeing and pit plunging, the event also offers plenty of educational and exciting experiences for participants of all ability levels.

Activities are classified as Levels 1 through 4, 1 being the easiest and 4 being the most difficult.

Some events offered on Level 1 include a class called “Do it Right,” which is an introduction to caving. Level 1 also offers walking tours through commercial caves and events for children.

A Level 2 activity is more “hands and knees,” Ansley explained, and Level 3 involves being underground for extended periods of time.

“Level 4 requires certain skills before you can even sign up,” he said. “Participants in Level 4 activities get to canoe in the middle of winter and do some pit plunging, which is only offered during the Crawlathon.”

The event is worthy of its “Top Ten” ranking because of its “uniqueness,” Ansley said.

“It’s different the way it brings together wild caving and many other fun activities. The time of the year it takes place also makes it pretty neat,” he said.

“It’s wild the hodgepodge of people who participate in the Crawlathon. Families, scouts, church groups, doctors, lawyers and blue collar workers all mesh together and have a good time.”

The two other Kentucky state park events that made the “Top Ten” were the Christmas Candlelight Tours at My Old Kentucky Home in Bardstown and the Eagle Watch Weekends at four resort parks in January and February.

The candlelight tour at My Old Kentucky Home features tours led by guides dressed in Christmas period costumes at Kentucky’s most famous home — Federal Hill mansion, which is decorated for the holidays as it would have been in the 1800s.

The Eagle Watch Weekends, which have taken place for about 30 years, are excursions offering participants a chance to view the American Bald Eagle from land and water.

The parks and dates offering the Eagle Watch Weekends in 2007 will be Dale Hollow State Resort Park, Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park, Lake Barkley State Resort Park and Kenlake State Resort Park.

SARAH LYNCH can be reached at slynch@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2650.