The Mid-Appalachian Region (MAR), an internal organization of the National Speleological Society, is group of associated caving clubs and grottos within the geographical region consisting of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey, and has two (2) field meets per year.

The weekend field meets are usually conducted in the Fall and Spring, generally in October and May. The purpose is largely social. There are numerous cave trips, an Saturday evening dinner, and other various activities throughout the weekend, as well as a Pennsylvania Cave Conservancy (PCC) business meeting on Sunday morning.

Occasionally, MAR and neighboring regions of the Virginia Region (VAR) or the Northeastern Regional Organization (NRO) of the National Speleological Society (NSS) will jointly sponsor one of their field meet weekends together.

  Spring:

Date:  May 1-3, 2026
Location:  McClure Festival Grounds
McClure, PA (Snyder County)
Hosted By:  Bald Eagle Grotto (BEG)
Grotto's 40th Anniversary

  Fall:

Date:  September 25-27, 2026
Location:  Newville Lions Club Fairgrounds
Newville, PA (Cumberland County)
Hosted By:  York Grotto

  Spring:

Date:  Spring 2027
Location:  TBA
Hosted By:  Philly Grotto
Grotto's 80th Anniversary

  Fall:

Date:  TBA, 2027
Location:  TBA
Hosted By:  TBA

  -A chronological history of past MAR Spring and Fall field meets including events from the early MAR years consisting of Summer Cave Rallys, Speleo-go-gos, Annual Regional Field Trips, and Regional Mini-Conventions.

Please help preserve MAR's history by submitting any information and/or corrections of former MAR events to the MAR Webmaster .

* This list is in memory of Dale Ibberson, which passed away in March 2009. Since, the creation of this list back in 2000, it was the webmaster's intention to completely document the history of the MAR and its former officers and events, including the Spring and Fall field meets, for its 50th Anniversary in 2003.

However, the lists were far from being complete well into early 2009. As a result of Dale's death, the majority of information needed to fill in the many "missing holes" were found by researching Dale's tremendous wealth of information that he had collected and archived over the years. Dale was a true historian and he will be missed by all!