"--- root beers got that frosty mug taste, only --- root beers got that frosty mug taste, hot hot days mean cold cold root beer waiting for you, so quench your thirst, yeah, drench your thirst with ---"
Is the jingle of a historic drink that started over 100 years ago here in Lodi.
This Virtual is located at a place that has a collection of memoribilia connected with this drink along with a plaque nearby that documents where the start of this drink happened in Lodi.
This drink HAD A HUMBLE START, for what was to become a root-beer behemoth..
Roy Allen, a hotelier by trade, bought a root-beer recipe and ingredients from a pharmacist in Arizona in 1919. Being the entrepreneur that he was, he soon decided to sell his brew.
Allen settled in Lodi, California, and on June 14, 1919, he began selling root beer to townsfolk during a parade. His original root-beer cart is long gone, but a plaque embedded in the sidewalk at 13 Pine Street commemorates the spot.
In the next few years, Allen partnered up with an employee, Frank Wright. The duo named their beverage using the first initials of both of their last names. Soon after, the partners opened up stands in the nearby cities of Sacramento and Stockton, where they sold the beverage in cold mugs for just 5 cents.
Eventually, Allen would buy out Wright’s shares, and, in 1924, he launched his franchise business, selling his root-beer concentrate and brand name to restaurant operators across the country. This was the first-ever franchised restaurant chain.
The venue where this Virtual cache is located, has a display of what owner Peter Knight believes is the largest of this drink's memorabilia collection in existence.
To get Credit for this Virtual, email me the answers to the questions below:
The first two waypoints are not too far from the Posted Coordinates. You can park near Waypoint 1.
1. Number of people in your group and their geocaching names.
2. At waypoint 1 - Behind the Papa statue, what does it say etched into the corner of the pavement ?
3. At waypoint 2 - Find the 100th Anniversary posters on the back of the building. What is the Letter-Number at the bottom of the round " Inspected US Department of Agriculture" Seal ? The posters fell during the storm and were removed. So there is no longer a requirement to answer this qustion.
4. Optional Extra Credit - At waypoint 3 - What day in July, 2001 was the plaque dedicated ?
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.