June 2024 Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting of Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society
Meeting date: June 10, 2024
There were 19 members at our June meeting to include one new member. Thanks to all who brought minerals and rocks from Africa to share. Some of the specimens we saw were:
- Cindy had an entire case of fossilized ammonites (& wore an ammonite necklace);
- Charlie had some blue tiger eye;
- Marcia brought samples she collected from her trip to South Africa - jaspelite, magnetite, baryte, black chert & kimberlite (which isn't allowed to be collected, so she bought a piece);
- Liz brought some things from a geology trip to S.A. several years ago - Banded Iron Formation, Kimberlite, mantle xenolith, lystrosaurus and a very heavy piece of platinum bearing chromite;
- Debbie brought velvet malachite, opal from Ethiopia, prehnite on epidote and chrysocolla.
- The shop will be open this Saturday, June 15 from 9 am to noon. Jack is reminding us that if you bought a large rock at the Herrick auction, the saws there can only handle rocks no larger than 8" high and 12" in length.
- Jack reminded us that the SHOW IS COMING QUICKLY. He had posters and pads to hand out for advertising. The show is Sep. 20-22, with set-up on Thursday, Sep. 19.
- Please plan on volunteering for the show, as we have all three buildings. We will need ticket sellers; folks to roam in all three buildings to keep an eye on things; folks to relieve the vendors and take them snacks and water; someone to announce and give away door prizes; people to oversee the ticket sign in tables. We usually need forty to fifty volunteers; you can sign up for a few hours at a time or entire days- every little bit helps. The annex will have our case displays (good time to start thinking about those) and the kid's activities.
- REMINDER: John and Joyce will not be there on Saturday, so we need some volunteers to run the kiddie sandbox. John will set it up on Saturday morning - he has all the materials needed. They'll be there Sunday.
- Charlie thanked his assistant, Cindy, for all the trips she made from Ft. Defiance to Broadway to help him label, identify and organize the rocks for the auction. Everything went smoothly at the auction, and everyone went home with a lot of rocks! The weather was great. The bidding went well with shortened times so we were done by 4 pm. Thanks to Charlie and Glenna for hosting us at their home.
- Cindy thanked everyone for their help, especially those that came on Friday afternoon to set up. We were done in an hour and a half.
- Cindy's summary: We had 28 bidders. There were 55 items that made the minimum bid; 43 were above $50; several went for $100 plus; the highest 2 went for $160 and $210. There were about 26 rocks that had no bid during the live bidding, but those were sold in a 15 minute round at the end. We collected $9401 of which the Herrick Trust fund will donate to us our share at a later date. Cindy also made the 280 or so bidding sheets, and Joyce & I helped her place them under the rocks with tape to hold them down - a timely effort. Cindy, you are a true blessing to us! Thanks.
-THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE AUCTION AND HELPED IN ANY WAY.
**Our treasurer, Scott, has moved to NC and it is very difficult for him to maintain his volunteering as our treasurer. He will also have to step down as our show co-chair. Life hands us changes, so we are asking that you let me know if you would consider taking on one or both of these opportunities. We will also consider having 2 people work together to oversee the show duties. Thanks in advance for your consideration. ❖ ❖ ❖
Upcoming meeting notes: (Details later)
May - Tom Tucker will invite us to bring unknown minerals and he will explain/demonstrate how to identify them.
June - Marcia Morris will take us on a virtual trip to South Africa from her visit in March
July - our annual picnic at the pavilion at Bridgewater Baptist Church
August - George Lott (from local archaeology club) will do flint knapping
Club Officers and Staff 2016-2024
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