The Prescott Gem and Mineral Club will host its annual show August 4–6 in Prescott Valley … and is accepting members year ‘round
A handful of dedicated rockhounds started the Prescott Gem and Mineral Club in 2003, and today it’s one of the largest gem clubs in Arizona, boasting a membership of more than 300 people.
Monthly meetings take place at the Community Center in Chino Valley and the club invites guests to attend and learn more. Most months, meetings include a program on a variety of subjects ranging from rockhounding field trips to beading to local geology.
The Club held its first show in 2004. It wasn’t much more than a tailgate party for the members. Over the years, the show has grown from its meager beginnings in the livestock building at the Yavapai County Fairgrounds, where the flies outnumbered the patrons, to what it is today: the largest indoor show in Northern Arizona. In 2023, the show will once again take over the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley for three days of rockin’ fun!
Friday, August 4 through Sunday, August 6, folks can find anything their heart desires related to rocks and minerals: finished one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces, rough rock, slabs, fossils, mineral specimens, equipment, beads, findings, and so much more. Featuring more than 60 vendors from around the western United States, the show will not disappoint.
In addition to the variety of vendors, club members show off their collections and talents in display cases. If that’s not enough, there is a kids’ area where young and young at heart can spin the wheel for prizes, hold some dinosaur bone or coprolite (yup, that’s fossilized dino poop), in their hands.
Every paying entrant gets a free raffle ticket for the great prizes offered every day. If you think that this club and hobby is something for you, there is a club table manned by volunteer members anxious to answer your questions and sign you up.
The Prescott Gem and Mineral Club is busy the rest of the year as well. The club offers several Yavapai College scholarships. Information concerning scholarships can be found on the club website. There are monthly field trips to rock hounding spots around the state and at least one out-of-state field trip each year. And don’t be afraid if you’re a newbie; there are always members who are glad to help you identify what treasures you’ve found. The club also has a workshop with instructors to help you learn the art of lapidary or to slab that gem you brought home from the last field trip.
Prescott Gem and Mineral Club is dedicated to increasing knowledge in the sciences pertaining to minerals, gems, rocks and fossils. Membership in the club is open to all ages and levels, from the dedicated fossil collector to folks who just love the beautiful rocks and minerals available around us.
Learn more at https://www.prescottgemmineral.org.