Another year has passed, and as quickly as we managed to pull ourselves together for our annual show… it is over! Now that our sore feet and backs have recovered, we can take a moment to reflect on another wonderful year.
We would like to first thank everyone who came to the show. You guys make it all worth
while! We would also like to thank those who were demonstrators, and put together display cases. And of course, thank you to our club members and their families who put the whole show together- we literally could not have done it without you!
Much was done in the traditional SBLMS way, with a few new changes! We cannot help but notice how the kids section outside has been growing in size over the past couple years- we even saw a few adults out there painting some ‘pet rocks’ to take home!
We also spiced up the kitchen a bit by adding some home made pulled pork sandwiches this year, which were a big hit- club members were all too happy to take home leftovers.
Wire wrapping has also been a new addition over recent years, and has really taken off. Visitors can now have a stone or rock purchased at the show wire wrapped by a member into a lovely pendant!
Per the usual, we welcomed back the Fluorescent Mineral Society, which is always an exciting display for newcomers and beginners in Geology- the brightly colored specimens are so amazing! We have also had the Gold Miners with us again- it would not be a show without them! Show guests were also able to learn about casting, soap stone carving, wire wrapping, Chinese Knotting, and more with demonstrators inside and outside on the patio.
Our show is one of the only Non Profit Gem Shows in the area. This means that we are different from other clubs- we do not have vendors, and none of our members benefit from any show proceeds. We may be a small show, but what we lack in big vendors we make up for with honest love for the hobby, and enthusiasm- we
look forward to our show all year long!
Proceeds from the show fund several scholarships that we offer students from the El Camino Geology Department, along with our basic club operating expenses. 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 him telling a story about himself as a young man finding a perfect fossilized whale skull on the rocky beach at Bluff Cove. He decided he would come back with a friend the next day, but the skull was lost in a storm that night. He never found it again, so it might still be out there people!
At the end of the show this year, we presented yet another fantastic 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 dynamic field of Geology!
If you missed out show, do not fret! We already have our dates for next year! We will be in the same place at the same times on March 3 and March 4 in 2018. We also have our monthly meetings- check out our home page for the next date and educational program information.
Thanks for reading!
South Bay Lapidary and Mineral Society 