President’s Message – September 2021 (Click Here For More Information)

Past Presidents Message
From the Top of the Rock Pile . . . .
The weather lookout was iffy when we went to bed the Saturday night before our club picnic. There was no evidence that it had recently rained when we arrived on Sunday to set up the tables. The grass was dry and the sky was partly cloudy. Around twenty members were at the picnic and we had a very nice day talking “rocks” and visiting with one another. It’s so good seeing everyone once again. We raised $761 from the auction! Thank you to everyone for making our auction a success. Everyone went home with great bargains. The monies from the club auctions help us fund our meetings and various other club events throughout the year.
I would like to personally thank Rich for the custom faceted amethyst set in a sterling silver necklace. Rich cut the gem just for our event. The necklace is stunning! Scott Miles went home the lucky winner of this gorgeous necklace for his wife.
We have a club booth at the Maple Valley Days, Lake Wilderness Park. October 9th and 10th. I need volunteers for the following time slots. Sunday hours are 9:45 am to 1:30 pm (1 volunteer).

We also have a club booth at the Gem Faire, Puyallup Fairgrounds. November 12th through 14th. I need volunteers to cover this event. Friday hours are noon to 3:15 pm (1 volunteer), and 3 pm to 6:15 pm (2 volunteers), Saturday 9:45 am to 2:15 pm (1 volunteer), and Sunday 9:45 am to 1:30 pm (2volunteers).

I will have a sign-up sheet at the meeting or you can email me if you would like to volunteer for either event. Talkingkat2 at yahoo dot com

At both events, the club will have our spinning wheel and two display cases. The kids get to spin the wheel for free and receive a polished rock. These are fun events as the kids are always so happy with big smiles when they receive a free polished rock to keep. Talk to people that stop by the booth about our great club: its activities, answer questions and hand out membership information.

I want to welcome each of you to our great rock club. I apologize if I have missed introducing myself to you. Please feel free to come up and say hello.

Kat Koch, President

Updated: January 9, 2022 — 3:45 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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