President’s Message – June 2022 (Click Here For More Info)

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

From the Top of the Rock Pile …. by Kat Koch
Thanks to Zach Pratt’s efforts, our general meetings are on YouTube. We do have to work out the camera positioning for the entire meeting. Please give us a month or 2 to get things right. The club intends to make this YouTube Live Stream a permanent thing – so hang in there.
Our show plans are well underway. Our show is sold out!  We need a load of volunteers for this event. I will have at the meeting a sign-up sheet listing the positions I need help with. I have broken down where I need help into small jobs so be prepared to step up and volunteer.  It is imperative that our members step up and volunteer. The show will be held at the Green River College gym on August 20 & 21, 2022.

The Board puts on the Cascade Gem and Mineral Show each year to raise funds for an indoor lapidary shop. Also, some of the proceeds from the show fund two grants to students from Green River College majoring in Geology or Earth Sciences.

The club needs volunteers now and then. The ten board members plus a few regular volunteers can’t run the club and be relied upon to volunteer for everything. CMS is again approaching a membership base of 100 families with about 210 individuals. We are now considered a large club, and it takes many hands to keep it functioning, growing, and offering the classes that members would like to have. When we need something covered the club needs you to seriously consider volunteering.
Remember, you are always welcome to bring guests to our meetings or field trips.

Kat Koch, President.

Need Another Volunteer
Now I am looking for someone to volunteer to take pictures (with your cellphone is fine) at our monthly meeting, including the Show ‘n Tell portion. Then write a short article with photos for our Tumbler each month. If you are hesitant about your writing abilities, I would be more than happy to proofread your article before submitting it to Keith, our editor. The publication deadline is the 18th of each month.
Please Help Us Find A New Shop Location
The club is still looking for an indoor space for our lapidary shop. If you know of a location that might be able to financially assist us or physically support our club with warehouse space, please let me know. The club can afford to pay utilities and possibly a small rent.
Our club owns a lot of incredible equipment, and we have members willing to maintain it and teach us how to use it. We need an inexpensive location of about 1,000 to 1,500 square feet with electricity, heating, and water.
Also, if you have a contact or relationship with someone on the Kent City Council or King County Council, please let me know. I want to approach someone on either council about possibly using excess space they may have. Our club has been a part of Kent for 74 years! Hopefully, they will be open to supporting us in some manner. Contact Kat Koch at president@cascademineralogicalsociety.org
We continue to get new members every month. Once again, we are approaching a membership of 100 families. So if you are a new member, please be sure to come up and introduce yourself at our meeting. That way, I can tie your name to your face.
                                                            Kat Koch, President
Updated: July 13, 2022 — 12:31 pm

Presidents Message

  • From the Top of the Rock Pile Our annual club picnic went off great. The grass and Arboretum area was not wet or muddy, plus it didn’t rain while we were there. We had the usual club members attend, plus a few new faces. I forgot to count how many people attended, but I estimate around 40. Thank you, Angie and Brian, for shopping for the food and setting everything up. Thumbler’s Tumblers donated a tumbler for our picnic auction and another one for our holiday auction in December. The new double-barreled 15# tumbler sold for $120, approximately one-third the …

Meeting Announcements

  • We are going to show a video of the most unusual and amazing things found in Amber. It isn’t just insects. We are also going to have a recap of how our Gem Show did last month. Show ‘n Tell: An item that has something trapped inside or a picture rock, thunder egg, or geode that looks like it has an insect, animal, or face inside.

  • Maureen will speak on the geology and the movement of the Washington coastline over millions of years. Show ‘n Tell: Favorite rock or mineral from Washington

  • Glen Ripper is a leading authority on Obsidian. He is a walking encyclopedia which should make this an interesting and educational meeting. Show ‘n Tell: Obsidian – let’s see your colors.

  •   We start the day off with a potluck holiday meal. The club provides roasted turkey and ham. Members fill in with their favorite holiday potluck dish. We follow our meal with the election of officers for the coming year. Our final activity is our club auction. It is a great time to pick up great bargains on rough rocks, polished rocks, slabs, fossils, opal, etc. Our Young Tumblers can use their Rock Bucks to purchase auction items. This meeting is also our semi-annual food drive for the Kent Food Bank. Please remember to bring something. The Food Bank has informed us that they need feminine hygiene products and grape or strawberry jelly. People donate loads of peanut butter but never jelly. They also receive very few donations of feminine hygiene products.

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