President’s Message – December 2021

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From the Top of the Rock Pile . . . .

The Gem Faire in early November went very well. It was good to see some version of normalcy. I enjoyed all the people, visiting with the vendors, seeing the bright lights and sparkles. Our booth spinning wheel gave out a whole bucket + of polished rocks. It was more than I expected as this was an event that children don’t usually attend.

I suppose it’s because more families are attending as there are more and more rock and mineral vendors with each Gem Faire event.

Several vendors came to our booth and asked if we were having a Gem Show in 2022. I told them we sure are at the Greenriver College! It was very encouraging to see the vendors seeking us out and asking. I also was able to add two new prospective vendors to our list.

Once we have passed the holidays, it’s going to be crunch time. It will be showtime! We can’t put on a gem show with just the board volunteering. To produce the show, we will be looking for many volunteers. So please be prepared to help at some level.

I don’t know if the new November members found out about us at the Gem Faire or not, but we have had five (5) new families join our club.

I want to welcome each of you to our rock club. Please feel free to come up and say hello at the holiday dinner.

Kat Koch, President

Updated: February 7, 2022 — 1:27 pm

Presidents Message

  • From the Top of the Rock Pile 2024 is in our rearview mirror. It was a very successful year for our club. We moved our Cascade Gem Show to June at Kent Commons. It has been an excellent decision for our club. We had the largest attendance since resuming our shows in 2018, with approximately 3,200 visitors! The proceeds from our two club auctions in 2024 brought in around $1,800. These funds help to cover our club’s largest expense, the liability insurance policy. I expect the premium for 2025 will be near $3,000. Our booth at the Puyallup Gem Faire …

Meeting Announcements

  • February 13th – Jim Cerenzie – Finding New (Old) Rockhounding Sites Our club member, Jim Cerenzie, is going to speak on how he finds long forgotten sites to hunt for rocks and crystals. He has a YouTube channel called the “Vug Meister” where he and his son go rockhounding to these places. If you watch YouTube please support him by subscribing to his channel. Show ‘n Tell: Your favorite rockhounding find. It can be a find from a field trip, your yard, the beach, or a riverbed.

  • March 13th – Field Trip Preview by Roger Danneman Where will we go this year? Join our wagonmaster Roger Danneman as he gives us a preview of all of the places the Club will explore this year on field trips – and what kinds of materials you might find there. Show ‘n Tell: Something you’ve found on a prior field trip (with a club or on your own!).

  • April 10th – Rock BINGO Kent schools on spring break. So all you members, junior members and their friends, your grandkids, guests it is time for our Rock Bingo night.  Everyone is guaranteed to be a winner. Rock Bingo is free tonight – bring 3 wrapped presents (see below). Maximum 3 game cards per player. Each player is to bring 3 wrapped presents. Rocks, minerals, fossils, cabachons, slabs, jewelry, or anything that you think would be a nice gift.  Guests do not need to bring any wrapped items.

  • May 8th – Glaciers by Paul Ahnberg What are the benefits of glaciers? Glaciers, slow-moving rivers of ice, have sculpted mountains and carved valleys throughout Earth’s history. They continue to flow and shape the landscape in many places today. But glaciers affect much more than the landscape. Show ‘n Tell: A white or clear mineral or crystal.

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