President’s Message – September 2019

Past Presidents Message

 

A Note from the President’s Desk . . .

We need a lot of volunteers. You can now sign-up online at our website under the tab Cascade Gem and Mineral Show. I suggest that you sign-up online before too much time passes so we know where we stand on covering all our bases. You can also text or call Mark and let him know when you can help out.

We had to take a larger venue in order to have our show on the 3rd weekend of September as the college made a mistake and the Student Union was not available. In having to cover costs for a much larger venue we went from 43 booths to 63 booths plus all our other activities. So we really need volunteers in order to run the show.

The success of our show directly benefits our club as the proceeds from the show goes towards getting a permanent indoor lapidary shop. We all know how great it would be to have a nice indoor lapidary shop again. So your volunteering to help at the show has a stated goal. So please volunteer to help. 10 or 12 members can not run a 2-day show by themselves.

We all enjoyed talking “rocks” at our annual picnic. They had predicted rain for the day but the weather was good until we were packed up and gone. I know I hit a huge downpour halfway home. It was good though seeing everyone and visiting with one another and picking up some great bargains at our auction.

We had a good turnout for our gold panning field trip. I know I had fun. I did find 2 very small gold flakes. The trip completed a bucket list item for me.

If anyone is going to the Puyallup Fair they have moved the Hobby Hall to the 2nd floor of the pavilion building just as you enter the Gold Gate. They have all new display cases with a completely different floor layout. They had eliminated several competition categories and demonstrators but found out they have more room than expected. Right now they plan on restoring some of the displays and demonstrators next year. The lapidary categories are still there this year. I saw some awesome entries, so if you go to the Fair be sure to check them out.

Kat Koch, President

Updated: December 17, 2019 — 4:52 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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