'Gotta catch 'em all': Owensboro hosts Pokémon GO Community Day
Aug. 14—Pokémon trainers across Owensboro had the opportunity to participate in the Pokémon GO Community Day on Saturday, hosted by Niantic, the development company of the game.
Owensboro was selected as one of 18 cities across the United States to participate in the community day, according to the Pokémon Go Live website.
Pokémon GO is an app that allows users to use virtual Poké Balls to catch various Pokémon characters. Galarian Zigzagoon, the tiny raccoon Pokémon, was the featured character at Saturday's event.
Maria and Karlie Keaveney have been playing the game since 2016, when the app launched.
"(Karlie) was 5 years old when we started playing," Maria said.
Karlie said she watched the Pokémon TV series, which the game is based on, and was a fan of the franchise before the app launched.
Maria said she joined in with Karlie on playing the game when she started.
"It's so much fun to get out and be outside and have together time," Maria said.
The two said they frequently play around the community and decided to participate in the community day to meet new players to friend on the app.
"We were really excited to hear Owensboro was hosting a community day," Maria said.
During events like these, Shiny Pokémon can be found more frequently, which are rare variants of Pokémon characters.
The community day also offered several event bonuses players could be rewarded with, including surprises from taking snapshots during the day and additional in-app offerings.
After the three-hour main event, a bonus Raid Battle occurred until 7 p.m., which allowed players to unlock more Galarian Zigzagoon Pokémon to appear for 30 minutes.
