President’s Message – October 2023

From the Top of the Rock Pile .  .  .  . 

Our Cascade Gem Show was a huge success! A huge thank you, Chris, for putting together a fantastic show. All your hard work is much appreciated.

This year, we tried a couple of new things to bring in additional revenue, such as the club sales table and the sifting bag activity. The silent auction and raffle ticket sales also went very well. Thank you, Rich, Noelle, Paul, and Peggy, for being there the entire show and doing a great job.

Once the final show accounting is completed, I am confident it will be our most profitable show to date.

I am working on getting our Young Tumbler’s Club up and going. Our four young members earned their first badge by doing a display case at our show. I will be handing out their badge at the October meeting.

I am seeking an assistant to help me at the Young Tumbler’s Club meetings. I need to know if the present members would like to meet at 6:10 pm before the monthly meeting or once a month on a Saturday morning. If we meet on a Saturday morning, for 40 minutes, we can do so at the most convenient library. Please let me know your opinions and if you would like to help.

I would also like to thank Jim Cerenzie for volunteering as Club Historian. I hope everyone saw the excellent club history display case he did for our gen show. I have been concerned about our club losing its memorabilia, pictures, etc. It is now in great hands. If you have any photos, old Tumbler issues, show flyers, etc., please forward or give them to Jim.

We need someone to run for the position of Vice President. We need someone to run for the position of Vice President. They must be willing to run the monthly general meetings when the President can’t. Attend the online video board meetings. Help oversee all the club functions and volunteers. Essentially, they help the President make sure everything is running smoothly.

It is important to find someone to fill the Vice President position, as I am not going to run for reelection after this upcoming election. If reelected for the next two years, that will be my final term. So seriously, think about volunteering for the Vice Presidency. The elections will be held at our Holiday Party on December 3rd.

We continue to get new members online or in person at our monthly meetings. Our membership is presently at 140 families! 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 October meeting. Look for further details elsewhere in this issue of the Tumbler.

Kat Koch, President

Updated: October 8, 2023 — 1:07 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  Our big rock, gem and jewelry show is at the end of this month. We have so many opportunities for you to come and be a part of it – from helping our wonderful vendors load in their gear, to setting up tables, greeting guests, helping with kid’s activities, and so much more. All of our volunteers always go home with free rocks – and free shop hours! I’ll be spending those three days (Friday, June 26 – our set up day – through Sunday, June 28) at the Silent Auction table, working on raising money for our

Meeting Announcements

  • Club president Noelle Barnes will present “Rockhounding on the Road – How to Find Rocks Wherever You Are” – tools you can use to find a rockhounding location when you’re on the road, and in places you haven’t been before. Show and Tell: bring a rock or fossil you found outside of Washington (if available) or something that’s just too good not to share.

  • 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)

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