Meetings are typically 7:00pm at Cherokee Caverns on the first Wednesday of the month.

October 4, 2023 at 7:00pm at Cherokee Caverns

In lieu of a presentation, we are going to have a work meeting. Mike Whidby lets us meet at the cave for free, so let’s join together to help out around the cave. We will be chopping and stacking wood and also helping with lights and other decorations in the cave. Please come help out if you can! Feel free to bring beverages and friends!

September 6, 2023 at 7:00pm at Cherokee Caverns

Our presentation will be from Matt Tomlinson on the 2023 PESH expedition. Please remember to bring a chair.

August 2, 2023 at 7:00pm at Cherokee Caverns

Our presentation will be by JP Mclendon on his recent expedition to Vietnam. Please bring a chair and any food or beverages you may want to enjoy during the meeting.

July 5, 2023 at 7:00pm at Cherokee Caverns

The presentation will be Caves of Hawaii by Mike Furrey and Cheryl Pratt. We look forward to seeing everyone!

June 7, 2023 at 7:00pm at Cherokee Caverns

Our presentation this month will be by Ben Miller of the USGS. The presentation "Karst Studies of the Western Smoky Mountains" will be on his recent work in the Smoky Mountain National Park and surrounding areas. Please remember to bring a chair!

January 4, 2022 at 7:00pm at Cherokee Caverns

We will be showing one of the NSS Luminary series videos of a talk by Doug and Hazel Meadville covering about 50 years of exploration in West Virginia, Wyoming, Colorado and Hawaii. Doug and Hazel have done significant caving in the area of the next NSS convention.

December 7, 2022 at 7:00pm at Cherokee Caverns

We are having our annual Christmas potluck and December meeting at Cherokee Caverns on Wednesday December 7 at 7PM. This will mostly be a social meeting, with one business item - ELECTIONS. We ask that everyone bring a dish to share with the group. The grotto with provide the meat. Please email if you plan to attend, so we have an idea of how much to purchase.

November 2, 2022 at 5:00pm at Cherokee Caverns

The ETG meeting on Nov 2 is fast approaching! Instead of our regular meeting, the grotto will be having a working meeting to provide much needed assistance to Cherokee Caverns.

ETG has had a long tradition of supporting Cherokee Caverns. The Grotto has developed a very close relationship with the Whidby family who have been the caretakers of the cave for many years. The Whidbys are also long-time cavers and supporters of the caving community and ETG. They have graciously allowed ETG to hold special events and our monthly meetings at the cave at ZERO cost to the grotto. We will be giving back to them by helping them with cave and grounds maintenance.

As you will see from the list of tasks below, they range from super easy to very strenuous. There is something for everyone!

• General clean up / bagging litter
• Clean / stock the restroom
• Removing Halloween lights and decorations
• Coiling lights and packing decorations for storage
• Transporting items out of the cave to the office
• Grooming/leveling the tourist path
• Cutting trees into sections for splitting (Chainsaw required)
• Splitting wood (Wood splitter is on the premises)
• Stacking wood
• Starting/maintaining a fire if weather is cool
• Other tasks as identified

Gates will be open at 5:00 for an early start. Please bring your own gloves and a headlamp for extra lighting in various areas. If you have a chainsaw and are willing to help with cutting wood, please reach out to Mendy to coordinate details. All other general tools and supplies will be available at the Cave.

Many hands make light work - Let's all rise to the occasion and show the Whidbys how much we appreciate them!