President’s Message – January 2020

From the Top of the Rock Pile . . .

I want to thank everyone that attended our Holiday Dinner. We had the best turnout since the club struck out on it’s own. 40 members, family and friends attended. We had a great selection of food. Best ever. Thank you to each one of you for making the dinner such a great success.

I found out at our Holiday Dinner that some of our members are artistically talented beyond collecting rocks. If you have another talent besides collecting rocks please let me know. I found out John Cornell does beaded wall hanging and art pieces (he currently has a showing at an art gallery in Greenwood), Terri Gerard does watercolor and oil painting (she currently has a showing at an art gallery in Greenwood too), I do stipple art (pen & ink using small dots) and ceramics besides my wire wrapping. Your other talent can also include lapidary arts, faceting, wire work, cabochons, opals, metal working, knapping, intarsia, etc. What do you do? Let me know by mailing me at president@cascademineralogicalsociety.org

We are fast coming up on a decision for our 2020 Rock & Gem Show. I have not been able to confirm we have the venue or the dates with the college. So I won’t be asking for volunteer sign up at our January club meeting. Just be aware that we will need sufficient volunteers to commit to covering the open slots before proceeding with the show.

If I am going to be Show Chair I can’t carry a heavy physical load. I have to back off the long show hours as my legs and feet can no longer handle 10 to 13 hour days. I will need everyone’s help to accomplish the 2020 show. Every little bit someone can do will be a help. So be prepared to sign up for something (hopefully) at the February meeting.

Side note: I am already getting requests to book our 2020 show. Mark has given our club a running start on doing a very successful show.

With 2019 now behind us, I want to thank each and every one of you that have volunteered all year long to help our club grow and run successfully. A special thanks to Jennifer Russell, Rich’s wife, for baking goodies for our monthly meetings. She doesn’t even attend our meetings!

Our club went into 2020 with 87 family memberships on our roster. Thank you to everyone for helping to make 2019 a very good year for our club!

Kat Koch, President

 

Updated: November 1, 2022 — 12:49 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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