President’s Message – October 2023

Presidents Message

From the Top of the Rock Pile .  .  .  . 

Our Cascade Gem Show was a huge success! A huge thank you, Chris, for putting together a fantastic show. All your hard work is much appreciated.

This year, we tried a couple of new things to bring in additional revenue, such as the club sales table and the sifting bag activity. The silent auction and raffle ticket sales also went very well. Thank you, Rich, Noelle, Paul, and Peggy, for being there the entire show and doing a great job.

Once the final show accounting is completed, I am confident it will be our most profitable show to date.

I am working on getting our Young Tumbler’s Club up and going. Our four young members earned their first badge by doing a display case at our show. I will be handing out their badge at the October meeting.

I am seeking an assistant to help me at the Young Tumbler’s Club meetings. I need to know if the present members would like to meet at 6:10 pm before the monthly meeting or once a month on a Saturday morning. If we meet on a Saturday morning, for 40 minutes, we can do so at the most convenient library. Please let me know your opinions and if you would like to help.

I would also like to thank Jim Cerenzie for volunteering as Club Historian. I hope everyone saw the excellent club history display case he did for our gen show. I have been concerned about our club losing its memorabilia, pictures, etc. It is now in great hands. If you have any photos, old Tumbler issues, show flyers, etc., please forward or give them to Jim.

We need someone to run for the position of Vice President. We need someone to run for the position of Vice President. They must be willing to run the monthly general meetings when the President can’t. Attend the online video board meetings. Help oversee all the club functions and volunteers. Essentially, they help the President make sure everything is running smoothly.

It is important to find someone to fill the Vice President position, as I am not going to run for reelection after this upcoming election. If reelected for the next two years, that will be my final term. So seriously, think about volunteering for the Vice Presidency. The elections will be held at our Holiday Party on December 3rd.

We continue to get new members online or in person at our monthly meetings. Our membership is presently at 140 families! We welcome each of you to our great rock and gem club. When you attend our monthly meeting, please introduce yourself to me, as I look forward to meeting each of you.

I want to welcome the new families that joined our club at our gem show.

I look forward to seeing everyone at our October meeting. Look for further details elsewhere in this issue of the Tumbler.

Kat Koch, President

Updated: October 8, 2023 — 1:07 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