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 retail price. Rich faceted a beautiful Swiss Blue Topaz set in sterling silver, retail value $1,000. The fabulous necklace went to Pete for Beverly for $220! Rich always facets a stone set in sterling silver for our auctions. Everyone is always excited to see what he has made to be auctioned. He usually has a couple more necklaces in his back pocket that he is willing to sell at a great price to members. John and Dave Cornell donated a lot of cut and polished rocks.
The auction brought in $951.75 for our club treasury, plus our young tumblers spent $41 in Rock Bucks. One young man bought a whole bucket of rocks for $1! He was so excited. Our auctions help cover expenses, so we don’t have to raise our annual dues. Thank you to everyone who made the auction a success.
December 7th is our holiday party. So make plans now to enjoy dinner, the election of officers, and the club auction. As you can see, our club auctions are an excellent opportunity to pick up items at a fraction of the retail value.
I will not be running for president this time around. After 11 years, I am retiring, and Noelle is going to be running for president. I am confident that she will make an awesome president. We are looking for a Vice President for a 2-year term. It is not a big job, so you don’t have to worry about it taking up a lot of your time. If you are interested in running, please get in touch with Kat or Pete Williams.
The other position we need filled is Show Chairman for 2026. Kent Commons is a lot easier venue to produce a show at. I will be booking the vendors again, writing the website, and handling payments. We also no longer have a club sales booth, so that is a lot less work. Many of the other areas, like the silent auction, raffle case, and rounding up volunteers to help during the show, have lead volunteers that have signed on.
If you’re 
a new member, we’re thrilled to have you join our fantastic rock club! Your presence at our monthly meetings is highly valued, and we encourage you to take the opportunity to introduce yourself. I look forward to meeting you.
Since our membership continues to grow weekly, I hope more members will attend our monthly meetings. The larger our meeting attendance is each month, the easier it will be to book quality speakers.
When planning your estate, we invite you to consider donating to our club. We accept various types of gifts, including cash, stocks, real estate, and other assets. All property and monetary donations will be held in our savings account to help us acquire and operate an indoor shop, as well as a space for monthly club meetings. I appreciate your support!
Kat Koch, President