As we have finished our annual gem show, we thought we would share a few entries from different members about the show. This entry is from our Secretary and Webmaster Jamie Erickson.
All said and done, we had a great show this year. Over the Saturday and Sunday period, we had 918 people that visited us at our annual gem show. By the end of the weekend our club members were tired, a bit grumpy, and had sore feet, but all felt that the show was a great success. At least I know that MY feet were VERY sore!
This year there was a wide selection of stuff to see. Many of our members put in their usual display cases including jewelry, stone carvings, and specimens. We had polished stones for sale, rough rock, slabs, jewelry hand made by club members, tools, and books. We also had wonderful guest demonstrators. We welcomed back the Fluorescent Mineral Society, which is always an exciting display for newcomers and beginners in Geology. Show guests also learned about casting, soap stone carving, wire wrapping, gold panning, Chinese Knotting, and more! There was so much, I did not even manage to get around to photograph everything.
One of the the highlights of our show this year was the group of El Camino students that came along to help out. They often are stuck with the jobs that no one else wants, such as unloading and loading the moving truck of all of our boxes and supplies. Our members are always grateful to have a few guys with younger backs around to do some lifting!
Our show is one of the only Non Profit Gem Shows around. This means that we are different from other clubs- we do not have vendors, and none of our members benefit from any show proceeds. The proceeds from the show fund several scholarships that we offer students from the El Camino Geology Department. The Geology Department at El Camino was founded by one of our long time members Wally Ford, who was a wonderful man that we all miss dearly. I still remember going on one of my first field trips with with the club that Wally led at Buff Cove; I think it had only been a few weeks after he had undergone a hip replacement. Such tenacity!
At the end of the show this year, we presented yet another awesome group of students and scholarship recipients along with their professor Joe Holliday to our show guests, and thanked them for all of the awesome work they have done. Great job guys- we hope that you all are able to go on and follow your dreams, and pursue careers in the wonderful field of Geology!
This year we also honored two ladies who have been guest demonstrators and long time friends of our club with appreciation awards. We recently celebrated a birthday with one of the ladies, Dotty, who turned 95- being a rock hound is the secret to a long and happy life after all!
The weekend passed so quickly like it always seems to. There was so much laughing, learning, and discovery. We drank strong coffee, and ate delicious hot dogs. Old friends and club members came to visit us, and we met new people that we hope to see again in the near future. One of our long time friends Terry Ann said something at the end of the show that really struck a cord with me. She said that our show, The South Bay Lapidary and Mineral Society feels different from any other rock show out there. I agree. We really have a spirit, a love, and a passion for Geology. Our club has some wonderful people who have impacted the lives of many in the community. Speaking for myself, when I came to my first SBLMS gem show 17 years ago, I came for the rocks… but I stayed for the people.
Thanks for reading.
South Bay Lapidary and Mineral Society 