Aug 15th 2026 Annual Picnic and club auction at Coulon Park in Renton.

Past Field Trips

August 15th, 2026 is our annual picnic and club auction.  This year it is at Coulon Park on the south shores of Lake Washington in Renton.  We’ve reserved the shelter close to the swimming beach.  This is the easiest field trip of the year (difficulty rating 0-1) and always super fun.

Our August meeting is our annual summer picnic – there will be no Club meeting at the American Legion hall. Details are below!

Date: Saturday, August 15
Time: 12-4 (setup begins at 10:30)
Location: Gene Coulon Park, Renton – South Shelter 2 (see map below)

We will have the basics – plates, napkins, silverware, cups – please bring something that you want to share that is already cooked and ready to go. The shelter does have electricity too, and parking is nearby. We encourage you to get there early so that parking will be available.

You can bring drinks, salad, sandwiches, your favorite crock pot dish – whatever you want to share during this fun social event. Bring a comfortable chair for yourself too.

And the best part – the Club Auction! Score some great deals on beautiful material

Updated: August 17, 2026 — 8:23 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  September is here, and it looks like a wonderful month so far for getting together and getting out in the field. First, thank you to everyone who helped make our August picnic and club auction such a success. The delicious food, generous donations, volunteer help and spirited bidding made it a great afternoon, and the auction raised $750 for the club. We return to our regular meeting schedule on Thursday, September 10, at 7:00 p.m. at the American Legion Hall in Kent. Our program is all about YOU: Show, Tell & Transform, where you get to briefly present …

Meeting Announcements

  • This program is all about YOU. Bring a rock, mineral, fossil, or other field find that you would like to turn into something. It might become a cabochon, carving, display specimen, jewelry piece, slab, polished piece, or something entirely different. Bring your item and share: Where and how you found or acquired it What interests you about the material What you’re considering making from it Any questions or challenges you would like help thinking through Then we’ll open the conversation to our knowledgeable and curious club members. Together, we can discuss the material, possible designs, cutting or finishing approaches, and other ideas that might help you take the piece from field find to finished project. You do not need to have a complete plan or any special expertise. That’s part of the fun. Bring the piece itself if possible, along with any sketches, inspiration photos, or examples that might help explain your idea.

  • Noelle Barnes will present Using Gaia for Rockhounding, an overview of the features and tricks associated with the app Gaia and how you can use it for GPS, saving waypoints, navigation, photo tagging, trail recording and more. Show and Tell: Bring the rock(s) that have the best “story” – and tell everyone how you found them and where!

  • Club board member Paul Ahnberg will talk to us about the impact of wildfires on our lives – from protecting your home to staying safe while out rockhounding – and what we can do today to help mitigate our risk. Paul will combine his knowledge gained from learning at both the WSU Green School (Master Gardener) and WSU Climate Steward programs. Show and Tell: Bring something you found, from a place that you know has since been impacted by floods or wildfires – or was impacted shortly before you arrived. Tell your story!

  • December’s date and time is coming soon. We will update this page as soon as we know more.

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