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

  • 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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