UPDATE - GEM AND MINERAL SHOW SCHEDULE

Friday, August. 30 -

•  8:00 am - 11:00 am - Club members set up Show facilities
• 11:30 am - Pizza and beverages offered to club members
• 11:00 am - 5:00 pm - Vendor set-up with member assistance
•  5:00 pm - Doors to Show locked 

Saturday, August 31 -

• 7:00 am - Doors open for vendor set-up 
• 9:00 am - Show opens to public (NO early birds) 
• 9:00 am - Education field trip departs 
• 1:00 pm - Collecting field trip departs
• 5:00 pm - Doors to Show locked 

Sunday, September 1 -

•  9:00 am - Doors open for vendor set-up
  
• 10:00 am - Show opens to Public (NO early birds)
•  9:00 am - Education field trip departs  
• 1:00 pm - Collecting field trip departs
•  5:00 pm - Doors to Show locked
•  5:30 pm - Vendor-Member Dinner

Monday, September 2 -

•  9:00 am - Doors open for Vendor Set-up 
• 10:00 am - Show opens to Public (NO early birds)
•  9:00 am - Education Field Trip 
  
• 1:00 pm - Collecting Field Trip departs 
• 1:00 pm - Terry Humble Mine Tour departs   CANCELED
  
•  4:00 pm - Doors to Show locked 
• 4:00 pm - Vendor take-down with member assistance

2013 SHOW FIELD TRIP SCHEDULE (Update!)

Morning field trips will depart from the entrance to the gem and mineral show at 9:00 a.m.
Afternoon field trips will depart from the entrance at 1:00 p.m.

PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY.

MAKE SURE YOUR VEHICLE IS FUELED, AND YOU HAVE PLENTY OF DRINKING WATER.

SATURDAY AUG. 31
Saturday’s morning trip will be an educational tour with Mary Dowse that will introduce participants to the dominant kinds of rocks found in Silver City and weave the story of the region’s geologic history. We will be driving west, stopping at several locations where the rocks tell the story. The route will be suitable for any vehicle, and there will not be a lot of walking.
  
On Saturday afternoon we’ll drive out Highway 180 past Gila to look for fluorite on Turkey Creek Road. The last several miles will be on a rough gravel road, so high clearance is recommended. The best hunting involves a short but difficult and strenuous hike up a steep ravine, but small samples can usually be found near the road. Afterwards, you may enjoy a short drive down to cool your feet in the Gila River.

SUNDAY SEPT. 1

Sylveen Cook’s Sunday morning adventure will cover early mining areas and practices near Pinos Altos, the site of Grant County’s 1860s gold rush that included the noted historical figure, George Hearst. Driving should be no problem, but some walking over uneven terrain may be involved.

Sunday afternoon we head up to our geode claim where a little digging may turn up some nodules with banded (fortification) agate in whites, blues, grays, and sometimes a splash of orange. Often you can find great little samples on the surface if you’re not into hard labor. The gravel road up to Bear Mountain is usually passable by all vehicles, but rainy weather can make it treacherous. The walking terrain is uneven, but not particularly challenging. Further down the road (high clearance from this point on) you can look for more agate and a few fossils.

MONDAY SEPT. 2

Jack Cunningham will show Monday morning participants some of the oldest rocks on earth during a geological road trip from Acklin Canyon (near Mimbres) along highways 152 and 180 to Chloride Flat and Silver City. We will caravan in our own vehicles with roadside stops—no walking necessary.

Our Monday afternoon collecting trip will be a short drive east on Highway 180 to look for Ft. Bayard orthoclase crystals. We will park just off the pavement and hike about ¾ of a mile to the collecting area near Twin Sisters Creek. The terrain is uneven but not difficult. Some low hill climbing is optional.


SPECIAL TOUR AT THE GEM AND MINERAL SHOW   CANCELED

As a bonus field trip for the Annual Gem and Mineral Show, the Grant County Rolling Stones has invited Terry Humble, local author and historian, back this year to give his popular tour of area mines. The approximately two-hour bus ride (with no bathroom breaks—sorry!) will stop at various historical mines and sites where Terry will inform and amuse you with stories of the past.


The tour will leave from the entrance of the Show at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, Labor Day, September 2. We will not be taking advance reservations, but space on the bus is limited so show up early.

ALL ACTIVITIES ARE FREE.
CARPOOLING IS RECOMMENDED WHEN APPROPRIATE.
TRIPS MAY BE CANCELED DUE TO RAIN.

ONLY A WEEK AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!

The Grant County Rolling Stones Gem and Mineral Society presents our 30th Annual Gem and Mineral Show on Labor Day weekend. It will be at the Grant County Business and Conference Center, 3031 Hwy 180 E, Silver City (next to Ace Hardware). The free show, a great family event, will be open on Saturday August 31 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, on Sunday September 1 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Monday September 2 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Lions Club “restaurant” will sell food and drinks.
     
This year’s show will feature over forty vendors from New Mexico, Arizona and California. They will display a wide variety of rocks, minerals, gems, beads, and lapidary tools and equipment, as well as many different kinds of jewelry. For kids of all ages, there is the Wheel of Fortune, where every spin wins a prize. A Silent Auction of rock and mineral specimens will be held throughout the show. Educational displays will be provided by the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and by NMSU's Zuhl Collection.

Experts will lead daily field trips to local sites, weather permitting. Morning trips will be educational, featuring local geology and mining history. Afternoon trips will allow opportunities for digging and collecting rocks and minerals. Participants should bring a vehicle fueled for visiting the sites, plus plenty of drinking water.

See the following posts for a list of all the terrific vendors and additional information about the field trips.   We hope to see you there!

2013 Gem and Mineral Show Vendors Announced!

We have some really terrific vendors on tap for the upcoming Gem and Mineral Show over Labor Day Weekend in Silver City, New Mexico.  Here they are:

Susan & Doug Abbott, Desert Designs, Silver City, NM,   Native American jewelry, Zuni fetishes

Henry & Charlotte Andazola, Silver City, NM,   Native American jewelry

Armando Barrera, Custom Rock Cutters, Columbus, NM,   Cabs, spheres, eggs, bears, buffalos

Ed & Dawn Bell, Bell Custom Jewelry, Livingston, TX,   Jewelry, cabs

Fred Bishop, 2 Guys Rocks, Deming, NM,   Slabs, quartz, geodes, turquoise, jewelry

Karen Blisard, Radiant Gemstones, Silver City, NM,   Jewelry, faceted stones, facet rough

Harry & Carol Bruntz, Uniquely Yours, Horizon City, TX,   Rocks, gems, minerals, display stands

Greg &  Ann Capatch, Collectible Crystals & Copper, Sedona, AZ,   Minerals, crystals, copper splash

Wade Cave, Silver City, NM,   Jewelry, minerals

Kevin Cook & Sylveen Robinson-Cook, Royal Scepter, Silver City, NM,  Books, maps, beads, jewelry

Ginger Coombs, Silver City, NM,   Jewelry, cabs, geodes

Maury & Judy Crawford, Southwest Designs, Deming, NM,  Slabs, wire-wrap, gourd jewelry

Leah Criss, Bobcriss, Tucson, AZ,   Beads, silver jewelry

Dave Douglass, Douglass Minerals, Tucson, AZ,   Mineral specimens

Ashlee Fischer, Solo-La, Silver City, NM,   Jewelry w/ Czech glass beads

Sue Fischer, Jewelry from Sue, Silver City, NM,   Silver and gold jewelry

Abdul Gardezy, Brilliant design, Chandler, AZ,  Fine gems and jewelry

Charles & Pat Grimes, Roadrunner Gems, Silver City, NM,  Cabs, slab, jewelry, rock samples

Tom Hales, Tom’s Treasures, Deming, NM,  Minerals, gemstone rough, jewelry

Sally Hanson, Sally Rocks, Silver City, NM,  Jewelry, lapidary

Joe Harris, NM Joe’s Trading Post, Silver City, NM,  Native American jewelry

Allen Hebert, Glenkara, Tucson, AZ,   Gems, minerals, jewelry

Therese Higgins, The Jewelry Lady, Silver City, NM,   Jewelry, belly belts

Michael Ho, Gemstone Station, Miraloma, CA,  Beads, pearls

Bill & Linda Horton, Misty Mountain Gems and Minerals, Litchfield Park, AZ,  Jewelry, gems, minerals, carvings

Bill & Emily Jaeger, Endless Mountain Minerals, Hereford, AZ,   Crystals, rough, specimens, jewelry

Patsy & Jerry Kastner, Kastner Gems & Supply, Tucson, AZ,   Jewelry, lapidary equipt, supplies

Ron Kellner, RK Enterprises, Show Low, AZ,  Jewelry, cabs, slabs, specimens

Randy & Sally McCowan, Deming, NM,  Arrowheads, turquoise

Blanca Murguia, BM Jewelry, El Paso, TX,  Silver & gemstone jewelry

Barbara Nance, Stonewalker Studio, Silver City, NM,   Stone sculpture

Ken Newman, DBA Rocks, Deming, NM,  Spheres, slabs, thunder eggs

Jose Nunez, Canutillo, TX,  Minerals

John & Connie Partridge, JBP Minerals, Tucson, AZ,  Minerals, rocks

Jay and Amy Penn, El Chivo Viejo, Albuquerque, NM,  Minerals, slabs

David & Ruth Ann Rinsch, Dave’s Enterprises, Tyrone, NM,  Rocks, gems

Jose Maunel Romero, Opalos Romero, Tucson, AZ,  Fire opal, fire agate, rainbow obsidian, carvings

John Scully & Laurie Rossi, Scully’s Minerals, Fairview, NM   Minerals, fossils

Jesse, James, and Jan Searcy, Black hat Trading, Deming, NM,   Jewelry, findings, beads, carvings

Tracy Stump, Tracy’s Silver & Gold, Phoenix, AZ,   Jewelry

Sharon & Bill Szymanski, Never Enough Karats, San Tan Valley, AZ,  Jewelry, collectibles

Bruce Williams & Nancy Bailey, Silver & Stone Works, Silver City, NM,   Jewelry, cabs, chain maille

Tony Zenan, Znaniecki Collection, Cottonwood, AZ,   Wildlife paintings on slabs