Rock club gearing up for the 59th annual Gem and Mineral show
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The Idaho Falls Gem and Mineral Society will be holding its 59th Annual Gem and Mineral Show next weekend at the Bonneville County Fairgrounds south of Sandy Downs.
It will feature games, prizes and a scavenger hunt for the youth, as well as an arrowhead knapping project. There will be gem, jewelry and mineral dealers, silent auctions, drawings, demonstrations on silversmithing, faceting, knapping and opal cutting. Members of the club will have display cases featuring their expertise in working rocks and special rocks they have found.
Newsletter chairman Paul Fullmer will have a display case featuring “Lost River Agates” that he’s found. On April 15, he led the club’s first field trip of the season to an area where some of those agates were found.
“I have found an agate that weighed 104 pounds for my largest,” he commented. “It is now cut up and I have been making things out of it.”
Mike Bruton, one of the most ardent rockhounds of the club, had a display last year featuring many of the special rocks he found in central Idaho. He has indicated that he will have a similar one for this year’s show.
One display last year featured “Tumbling 101,” which was a simple demonstration on how to begin tumbling rocks, while others featured collections of artifacts and other treasures. Often, displays are not only interesting but also educational.
One of the most popular dealers sells geodes and will break them open for customers. Other dealers will feature colorful rock specimens from around the world, while others will feature finished jewelry or rough rock for lapidary artists to purchase.
Most of the demonstrations will be by members of the club who will demonstrate their expertise of working with rocks. Knapping, making arrowheads or knives from obsidian, is one the most popular demonstrations. Kids and adults will be able to watch and attempt to create an arrowhead.
On Sunday only, there will be an expert gemologist available to identify rocks.
The silent auction will feature stones donated by club members. Most of them will be rough, but some may be slabs or small samples. This is a good area to learn what certain rocks look like when they are found in the wild.
One of the most asked questions I get asked is “where can I find these rocks?” This show is a great place to ask questions to dealers and demonstrators, but mostly members of the IFG&MS club. Most of the 15 to 20 field trips will be planned for the summer by then and can be discussed with club members. Grab one of them while you are looking at the displays or watching a demonstration. They will probably help you and invite you to go out on a field trip with the club.
The doors will be open on Saturday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be a $3 entry fee for all guests over 12 years of age while those 12 and under will be free.
The show will be fun for the whole family and if you or a family member has an interest in rocks, it is a great opportunity to know how and where to get involved. If you can’t attend, you can find the club here.
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