June Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting of Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society
Meeting date: June 13, 2022
Intro:
We had 18 members at our meeting in Waynesboro on the 13th
The rock shop will be open Saturday, July 16th. All equipment is back in production.
New Business:
➤ Scott Gregory did an update on the show. We have about 140 tables so far!! There is a good possibility that there will be an ad on channel 29, and a slim possibility of an ad on channel 3. Facebook ads were a great way to spread the word. We are also on Community Bulletin Boards.
➤ Jack has ordered 2000 tickets which will be sold for $4 at the door. He also brought small and large posters, as well as pads of notices about the show. These are to be placed in businesses such as beauty salons, museums, local shops, breweries, wineries, etc. They can be picked up at our next meeting as well.
➤ Those members who have car magnets or yard signs can put those out starting in August.
➤ Don't forget to pick up a display case from the shop during open hours. We want to have as many of these as possible for our show, since our focus is to educate the public about minerals. AND, we're still in need of lots of volunteers for the show!! {Set up on Thur. Sep 15 & Showtimes Sep 16, 17 & 18}
➤ Jack had some fliers for the mineral show for the Lynchburg club on July 23 10 am - 6 pm. (Moose Lodge 715 at 2307 Lakeside Dr. Lynchburg, VA 24501} Free admission. They advertise our show for us as well. (I'll send it as a separate email)
❖ ❖ ❖
Program Report:
Thanks to all those who brought items to see - Cindy had a fish fossil she collected in 1998 from Wyoming, Jack had a gray-blue piece of Rhodusite, Charlie had a few dinosaur fossils, and Mike brought a brilliant sample of Lazulite which covered all our suggestions - old, because it was formed in the earth a long time ago, it was new to him, he had a photo was borrowed from the internet, and it was definitely blue.
Marcia Morris, a club member, has done 3 trips with GeoWorldTravels.com. The group studies the geology of an area & Marcia also loves to photograph the flora and fauna of the places they visit.
She visited Oman on the Arabian peninsula in March for 10 days. She prepared a wonderful PowerPoint presentation with background music.
She took thousands of photos and had to choose and label those included.
She said they stayed in a hotel and had boxed lunches on the excursions, but got to enjoy local food for dinner.
She was allowed to collect rock samples on some sites, but not all. The lead guide used to be in the oil industry, and when he retired, he decided to share his travels by forming this tour group. He works with local guides in the visited area. The tour was of NW Oman where the desert meets the sea.
There was a great variety of photos from Lepidoptera (striped, spotted, multi-colored butterflies); Diptera (flies, large and small); Coleoptera, (black & brown beetles); Aves (egrets, vultures, sparrows, herons, gulls, cormorants); Reptiles (all sorts of lizards); and Mammals (fox and dolphin).
Interspersed with pictures of rocks and the animals were photos of flowering plants- cactus and some trees. There were many fossil shells on the beaches, and in the rock layers, as this area was under water millions of years ago.
The group visited the Wahiba sands - 112 x 50 mile area. The sands were blown in from Yemen over time. The Bedouin nomads make this area their home. They saw an area where the MOHO (the layer between the crust and mantle) was visible, a closed copper mine, a closed manganese mine, a prominent syncline, volcanic basalt columns, and an area of kimberlite.
Marcia got to see the Sultan's Rock, Elephant Rock, and the Grand Canyon of Arabia - the Wadi Ghul (a wadi is a dry river bed). They visited the Beehive tombs, an important archeological site, believed to be 4 to 5000 years old.
The country is ruled by a Muslim Sultan who controls the lives of the Oman people. There are very strict rules about public speaking, the role of women, and crime. There are very limited freedoms there. Marcia said everyone she met was very friendly and welcoming.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR TRIP WITH US! .......and we even got to hold some pieces of Oman in our hands with the samples she brought for us to see.
Next meeting:
Our next meeting is July 11th at 6:30 at Coyner Park in Waynesboro. This is our picnic get together, so bring a meat/entree/dessert/drinks to share!
FYI - If Waynesboro City 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:
With pandemic concerns diminishing, the lapidary shop will be open the Saturday following a regular meeting. (See Events At A Glance for a calendar view). Leo, 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
❖ ❖ ❖
Club Officers and Staff 2016-2022
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