President’s Message – March 2023

From the Top of the Rock Pile …. by Kat Koch

Our February was another good meeting. Almost 40 members attended, most of which displayed what they make or collect. It was interesting to see everyone’s interests. Plus, I always enjoy these types of meetings as we have the opportunity to talk and visit one another.

We missed our three Young Tumblers, Mason, Bentley, and Jude. I hope we see you at our April meeting, where we have fluorescent rocks and minerals and anything else we can find that change color under black light. We scheduled this meeting as the kids are on a school break, and our young tumblers won’t have to worry about school the next day.

We encourage you to attend our meetings as our club is more than just the field trips. We always try to have an educational and entertaining topic. It’s also an excellent opportunity to visit with each other. Plus,

 get your questions answered if you have a problem cutting or polishing or need a rock or mineral identified. Everyone is welcome to bring guests of any age to our meetings.

So mark your calendars now – our meetings are always the 2nd Thursday of the month except for August and December. August is our annual picnic at Lake Wilderness, and in December, we have our Holiday Dinner and election of officers.

I also want to remind everyone that our show needs volunteers. If anyone is interested in helping, contact Chris Vitellaro. Her contact info is on page 2 of this issue of the Tumbler.

We continue to get new members weekly by registering online or in person at our monthly meetings. 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 everyone.

I also appreciate all the members that renewed their membership!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the March meeting.

Kat Koch, President

Updated: March 4, 2023 — 9:27 am

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  May is finally here, and with the snow clearing, the flowers blooming, and the rains letting up a bit (hopefully), that rock fever is hitting us all pretty hard. I hope you all had a great time at the Rock Bingo night last month! The Big Show is Coming! We are now less than two months away from our Cascade Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show, which will be held June 27–28 at Kent Commons. This is our biggest event of the year, and as I mentioned when I started my term, the people are what make this club

Meeting Announcements

  • Our own Mike Blanton will bring his expertise to this club meeting program – he will share the tools, tips and tricks he has developed to drill holes in stones and minerals so you can do more with the rocks you find. Show and Tell: bring a rock you’d like to make into something else.

  • Club Wagonmaster and rock shop creator Roger Danneman will present an overview of the new club shop – including equipment, scheduling, stewards, and what you can expect from this exciting new resource.  Show and Tell: bring a rock you want to polish or make into a cabochon (or something you’ve already polished or made)

Current News