March 2022 Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting of Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society
Meeting date: April 4, 2022
Intro:
14 of us met for our monthly meeting. We had great participation for the "show and tell" of green minerals.
Our next meeting will be on Monday APRIL 4th at 7 pm instead of the usual second Monday of the month.
We'll ask that you bring a pastel colored mineral to celebrate the coming of the Easter bunny in April.🐰
Our program will be on WIRE WRAPPING presented by Michelle, a club member.
New Business:
➤ We decided that the shop will be open on the Saturday after each meeting. If more interest is shown, we may go back to opening it twice a month.
➤ Scott Gregory gave an update on the show. We now have 95 vendor tables confirmed with good possibility of a total of 135.
• We discussed the possibility of allowing a non-profit group to have some table space during the event, but we decided that could possibly cause some unforeseen circumstances now and in the future so we will not be offering that as an option.
• We will have space for our club DISPLAY CASES. {please see here on how to do a display case} There are several in the shop so if you'd like one, you can go to the shop when it's open, or let me know and I can contact Charlie or Jack to make arrangements to pick one up. Some of them need to have the glass replaced with Plexiglas; the club will reimburse anyone who decides to do this. This activity is very popular with our visitors, especially the youth, who often get inspired to start collecting minerals.
• We would like to have someone do a demonstration on wire-wrapping at the show. This was very popular, but does involve being at the show for the entire event. A club member was doing this for us previously, but will be a vendor this year instead.
• Jack asked if anyone has any contacts with channel 3 or 29. We would like to have some exposure on the air to help spread the word. Please let me know.
• Larry K has been doing a wonderful job running the sluice for us with his daughter and granddaughter. Please consider helping him. He gives out lots of small minerals/fossils to the youth that participate. If anyone has samples to donate for this, it would be appreciated. (polished pieces/fossils about 1/2" are good). The good news is that it will be held inside this year!
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Program Report:
Our program was presented by our president, Mike Pabst. He provided a PowerPoint about the new JMU mineral museum.
JMU is now the "go to" university for geology and minerals in the state. The museum is open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 to 3. Groups may make arrangements to visit on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The link is https://www.jmu.edu/mineralmuseum/index.shtml
Please check this site before you go - it explains parking procedures and information about closings, etc. The site gives the history of the museum and some photos of some of the minerals. (Mike would be glad to host a few of you at a time if you want to visit on Tue/Thur. Please contact him at michaeljpapst@yahoo.com)
-Mike took all the photos he showed us. He explained that it takes a lot of patience, and a lot of shots to get that perfect one!
He used his iPhone for some, and a camera for others. In order to get a great representation, many things must be taken into account - lighting, background, glare of the glass, reflections in the glass, objects in the background, and the angle of view. Also, nothing compares to the real object in terms of color clarity - what looks green in the specimen may appear blue on the camera screen or yellow on the presenter. Designing slides with a pleasing font, background and descriptors are a lot of work as well.
Mike, we give you kudos for the great efforts you used to make the presentation very educational and enjoyable!
- The minerals encompass many countries - Russia, China, Brazil, Namibia, and India to name a few. The US is represented by CA, CO, & UT with many others. There are a plethora of specimens from VA.
Mike said the JMU museum rivals many he has visited in Europe and other locations in the US. A few pieces are worth at least $1 million!! Dr. Lance Kearns and his wife, Dr. Cindy Kearns have spent thousands of hours arranging the displays, and have actually purchased 3 pieces from our annual mineral shows that are displayed in the museum.
-Many minerals are from the collection of Peter L. Via who donated to JMU over $18 million worth of minerals from his estate when he passed away. A 3 minute video of this collection can be seen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHGG6DkQhRc. Other collections include samples from the now closed Rutherford mine in VA and a fluorescent collection.
-Some highlighted pieces were several rhodochrosites from the Alma mine in CO, a morganite (pink beryl named for JP Morgan), a unique garnet tree with separate cubic crystals from Austria, a cluster of rare rose quartz crystals, gold filigree, unusual calcite crystals and many others.
-"Seeing is believing" Photos do not capture the pristine elements of the minerals on display at the museum. If you get a chance, please try to visit and become amazed at the unique qualities of these pieces. You'll be glad you did!
Next meeting:
Our next meeting will be on Monday APRIL 4th at 7 pm instead of the usual second Monday of the month.
We'll ask that you bring a pastel colored mineral to celebrate the coming of the Easter bunny in April.🐰
Our program will be on WIRE WRAPPING presented by Michelle, a club member
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: NOTE: All previously announced field trips have been canceled due to the restrictions on travel and non-essential activities. Please do not go to the sites on your own that were sent out.
Doing so may prevent the club from visiting a particular area. Trips must be organized by the club.The club secretary will send information about scheduled/rescheduled trips once they are again feasible.
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
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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