President’s Message – November 2023

Presidents Message

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

Our club election is coming up in December. As I write this article, our membership stands at 145 families. We will most likely reach 150 family memberships by the end of the year. I point this out because we need some of our members to volunteer to run for board positions.

Some volunteers have been board members for decades and are getting older. We really need younger members to step up for our club’s continuing success, which will be our younger members taking over the reins of our great club. We also need our younger members to be active and give us new ideas and input for our club.

Being a board member doesn’t take a lot of time. We have an online board meeting on the Monday before our monthly meeting at 7 pm. We need two positions filled in the upcoming election: a Vice President and Director of Programs. If you are still unsure about volunteering, plenty of board members are willing to show you the ropes or help you fulfill a position.

As you are reading this, please consider volunteering for a position. Our club needs you!

We continue to get new members 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 each of you.

I want to welcome the new families that joined our club at our gem show.

I look forward to seeing everyone at our November meeting. Look for further meeting details elsewhere in this issue of the Tumbler.

Kat Koch, President

Updated: November 9, 2023 — 11:02 am

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.

Current News