April 2023 Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting of Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society
Meeting date: April 10, 2023
We had 21 members and 1 visitor at our April meeting.
Several members brought minerals from another state.
- Cindy S displayed quartz crystals from AR, NY, NC and GA.
- Charlie R brought some dogtooth calcite from KY & fossils from WV.
- Mike brought micros of rhodochrosite, hubnerite & fluorite.
- Sena M brought several boxes of agates from AZ. (Sorry to others who brought samples but I didn't write them down.)
- Mike Papst, our President, gave us some information about the Atlantic Micromounters Conference which will be at JMU on Saturday, June 3. (See info in attachment. Contact Mike only if you are truly interested - there is a limited amount of space & all specimens are viewed through microscopes) Mike enjoys micromounts as they are easier to store & are sometimes less expensive. He is the treasurer of this group.
-Tom Tucker, one of our members, had an article about VA Traprock Quarries in the March/April '23 issue of Rocks & Minerals magazine.
-Mike P. had photos of some huge concretions (3-4' across) from southern Pendleton Co, WV
-As you know, Mike Herrick, our "sphere man" passed away in March. There is a possibility that his family will allow the club members to purchase some of his spheres,
materials, and equipment. Charlie & Mike P are working with them to honor Mike's wishes that the club members obtain his items. More info about this later.
- Cindy S gave us info about a fossil dig in Surry County in August or September. You have to join the club to attend the field trip. She will give me details later, which I will pass along to you.
Larry Kersten gave us a very interesting program and showed lots of samples from his many trips across the country. He and his wife Sandy travel to visit relatives, to go camping, and to collect materials. He focused on several of his many trips to THE WORLD FAMOUS mineral show in Tucson, AZ.
He sometimes stays in Quartzite at a campground. The town normally has a population of 4000, but during January it can grow to 100,000. The campgrounds go for miles and one is around 11,000 acres. That's a lot of RVs! There are 60 RV parks. Some vendors live there from December to April, some of whom rent spaces in a warehouse all year long, and sell things for several months. Nearby towns, such as Parker, AZ and Blythe, CA have motels to rent. (Remember, this is a desert area with sometimes 80 to 100 miles between towns.) An RV show is annually held in a 69,000 sq ft tent. Larry once spent 45 minutes on an entry ramp to the area!!
Larry not only visits the show areas, but enjoys taking side trips to collect materials. The Quartzite Roadrunner Gem & Mineral Club offers these trips. You provide your own transportation, collecting gear, food, etc. Each trip is very specific & there's a brochure that describes each trip. Trips are labeled by difficulty of (1) road leading to site (paved to ruts to dangerous cliffs) Also whether cars, high clearance vehicles or 4-wheel drive is needed. (2) terrain from 1 to 4 based on type of terrain (flat to slippery slopes to physically exhausting) (3) extraction of material (from loose tailings to hand tools to heavy hammering). There is a list of collecting material at each site (rhyolite, epidote, marble, etc) Location is given as well as total miles to drive (8 to 170). Daily collection limit is 25 lbs per day or 250 lbs per year. We are SO glad that Larry has gone to many of these and brought back samples for us to see!!!
Larry talked about the new venue in Tucson called "The Mineral City Show". This is an area of 7 warehouses that have permanent vendors that had been planned and has evolved since 2018. Each warehouse has from 14 to 25+ vendors. Larry was there for 10 days and only saw about 1/3 of the vendors. There are vendors for almost everything anyone would want to purchase - minerals (to enter the wholesale section, a permit/tax ID must be shown), fossils, rocks, gems, jewelry, equipment, & more.
Thank you, Larry, for showing off some of your valuables! Porcelain jasper, Chipboard rhyolite, fish fossils, Picasso marble, Thunder eggs (Houser geodes), Quartz, & fluorite. Some of the states he collected from were WA, OR, AZ, UT, AR, AK, NV. He had a piece of Actinolite that he bought at the show - it came from Luckstone Quarry in Centerville, VA from the 1970s!!! (So, you can go to Tucson & buy VA minerals!)
This program was very informative for those that may wish to go to Tucson, or have been before. Larry closed with a mention of a memorable sign at a site - "Please buy Rocks & save John's marriage!" May be good advice!
Inclement weather policy: FYI - If Rockingham County Public Schools are closed due to inclement weather on a meeting day, our meeting will be canceled. The club secretary will try to send out an email ASAP that day, and an announcement will be posted on the club’s Facebook page and web site.
Thanks for your understanding; we want everyone to be safe!
Field Trips: We are not planning any field trips any time soon, but if anyone knows of places to collect in small groups, let the club secretary know and they can send out the info.
Looking ahead:
The lapidary shop will be open the Saturday following a regular meeting. (See Events At A Glance for a calendar view). Charlie & Jack can assist you. Open from 9 am to noon. This is a small enclosed space; please follow whatever COVID protective guidelines you think appropriate.
There are several slab saws and trim saws. Keep in mind that safety is a priority, and wear closed toe shoes, safety glasses, with no loose hair or long sleeves. Children must be supervised and closely monitored to insure they are safely using the equipment. Check this page to see what you can learn to do!
If you’d like to present a program, please talk to an officer at a meeting.
Be sure to keep up with our website www.shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org and our Facebook page Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society for updates and information.
Deborah Grimm, Secretary
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Club Officers and Staff 2016-2023
President – Michael Pabst
Vice President – Leo Cloutier
Educational Outreach -- Deborah Grimm
Secretary/Newsletter -- Deborah Grimm
Field Trip Coordinators - TBD
Co-Treasurers – Scott Gregory/Deborah Grimm
Show Team Leaders – Scott Gregory/Jack Glenn
Web Site Coordinator – Jack Glenn
Club web site: shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org
Club Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahValleyGemMineralSociety
Club email: svgem-min-club@live.com