Photo gallery image (click to enlarge)

Willow Glen Holiday Lights

Light-O Course and Potluck Social

Date: (Sat.) Dec. 15, 2012
Location: San Jose, CA
Event Directors: - 857.361.8984,
Course Setters: Steve Harrison, David Harrison, Tony Pinkham
Type: C; 60- or 90-minute Light-O (Score-O) course and potluck social

Related Event Information

Last Year's Event Event Results

Please note that fees and time limits apply, unless otherwise mentioned below. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


We hope that you can clear your schedule and come out and join us for the fourth annual Willow Glen Light-O on Saturday, December 15.

This event will be a Light-O — a nighttime Score-O — in which every control is a house decorated with festive lights. Make your outing as easy or as hard as you want. You decide how many, and which controls you want to find in either 60 or 90 minutes. You can start in the mass start at 5:50 PM, or you can get an individual start any time after the mass start until 6:15. You can go by yourself or with a group. Just remember to get back on time, because there are penalties for being late!

Bring a flashlight or headlamp, and a pencil or pen. Runners, walkers, families, scouts, neighbors — everyone is invited.

The event will be held at the cafeteria at the Willow Glen Elementary School on the corner of Lincoln Ave and Minnesota Ave in San Jose (see the directions below). This is the same location as in the previous years.

Plan to stay after you finish, and socialize at the annual BAOC Potluck Social and Awards Ceremony. It's a potluck, so please bring something to share! Following dinner, this year's recipient of the BAOC Club Service Award will be announced.

Get your shopping done early, invite your friends, co-workers, neighbors, house guests, and family, and let's enjoy the last BAOC event of the 2012 season and celebrate another great year of orienteering!

Event schedule

5:00 – Building opens: Registration begins (self registration will be available for BAOC members)
5:35 – Maps passed out so that everyone can start planning their route
5:50 – Mass start (changed from 5:45)
6:15 – Registration and individual starts close
7:30 – Potluck begins (approximate time)
7:50 – Course closes
8:00 – Service Award Presentation9:00 – Building is closed

Registration

Except for the free offer described below, the course fees will be as follows: 

     Member entry fee, first person         Adult $10    Junior $5
     Non-member entry fee, first person     Adult $15    Junior $5
     Each additional person                 Adult $5     Junior $3
     Family                                 $20 max.

     Notes:  A Junior is defined as anyone age 8 through 20.
             Children under 8 accompanying parents or youth group leaders are free.

Free Offer

There will be a bring-a-friend-to-try-out-orienteering free offer at this event:

BAOC members can introduce a friend (or two) to orienteering, and the friend(s) can run for free. At registration, the friend will fill out the normal form and just say they are a friend of _________. (The member is not required to accompany the friend on their course.)

This would be a good time to invite your friends, your child's friends, your relatives, your neighbors, house guests, or co-workers to try orienteering. Of course they'll miss the thrill of our steep hills and muddy fields and trails at this event, but you could break them in gradually.

Scout, JROTC, and school groups are welcome of course. Large groups should go out in groups of 5 or less if possible.

Map and Course

The map is at 1:15000 scale with 5-foot contours. There are some interesting street patterns and opportunities for off-street navigation in quite a few of the blocks — some parkland, schools, and passageways are sprinkled about the map.

The course will be Score-O format with 60- and 90-minute options. Controls will be environmental, such as: 

     At house #456, how many reindeer are on the roof?
          A – 3      B – 8      C – 9      D – 22

There will be beginner clinics if requested, but if you can find your way around with a street map, you should be able to navigate around Willow Glen.

Gear

Running shoes and shorts should be fine, but you may want warmer clothing depending on the weather. The event center has bathrooms where you can change.

Please bring a pencil (preferred) or pen to mark your answers, and bring a headlamp or flashlight — although Willow Glen is brightly lit in spots, you will need a headlamp or flashlight!

Potluck Social

Everyone will be hungry after going out on the Light-O course.

So we don't end up with 20 salads and 0 entrees, please use the sign-up form (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dENiY0hBVFJpRUkwQW5rYkc0RkV4amc6MQ) to indicate what you'll be bringing. We know that some people will not decide until the day of the event what they are going bring, but it will turn out fine. Our club always has such good potluck dinners!

BAOC will be providing the utensils, plates, cups, napkins, and hot and cold drinks. (We'll offer hot tea, and hot and cold cider.) Many of you probably will bring your own utensils, plates, and cups to eliminate waste. (Please note that alcohol is not allowed on the campus.)

We hope to see many of you out there ... rain or shine!

Driving Directions

Take Interstate 280 towards downtown San Jose (South/East) from Interstate 880. Exit on Meridian Ave. South. Proceed 0.9 miles to Minnesota and turn left (east). The school is on the right, 0.9 miles down Minnesota, at the corner with Lincoln. There is limited parking on the school grounds, and there is plenty of street parking nearby.

There's a map here that shows the location of the event. (Drag the map to center San Jose, and then click on the "+" symbol to zoom in.)