President’s Message – May 2020 (Click Here for More Info)

From the Top of the Rock Pile . . . . . . .

Mike and I had a great road trip to the Tucson Gem Show, San Antonio – Texas, Buckhorn – New Mexico and an unexpected stop in Quartzsite. There were still many vendors there until the end of April.

During our trip I found out my sister had a stroke so Mike dropped me off near Palm Springs to be with my sister and he then headed home.

Shortly after Mike returned home my car was stolen and our house broken into. All our treasures from our road trip were still inside my car. Luckily they didn’t steal much from inside our house. Mike was home and once they entered our kitchen and dining area they must heard someone was inside the house and awake. They must have been spooked and immediately left with my car.

I have been home since April 11th. Ever since returning home I have been dealing with my car and home owners claims with my insurance company.

I am sad to say there will be no Thursday general club meeting or Board meeting in May. I am very hopeful that we will see everyone in June.

The Board has been discussing what to do regarding our gem show. If we do proceed forward with it what changes do we need to make? Do we need to provide hand sanitizer and masks for all visitors? Are people going to want to come out to a show where there are a large group of people? Should we have fewer booth space and/or lower the price of booth space? This would substantially affect our bottom line. Are we going to have enough volunteers to run the show? If we proceed with our show, we must do everything to make sure our vendors make money. Are people going to have discretionary money to spend on rocks and minerals? If we do cancel it we will have to absorb the expenses already incurred. Such a big decision.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in June. We all need some “rock talk” with our club friends!

Kat Koch

Updated: August 19, 2020 — 7:50 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.

Current News