One of the advantages of the Elks venue was the ample space for demonstrations and instruction of various kinds. Examples of faceting and cabochon making were shown by Paul Boni and Bill Hutchinson and others, also polishing of opals and bead stringing was presented by Emily Epstein. Carl Bird taught a very interested class in the intricacies of wire wrapping, and Don Norris showed how to melt silver and make fascinating jewelry by pouring the melted metal over the ends of bundled plant stems. A special thank you should go to our treasurer Gerry Naugle who spent all three days of show patiently explaining the intricacies of gold panning to all and sundry in the absence of the professional gold panners who were supposed to attend but

were unable to do so because of the death of one of their important members. And no one left without at least a gold leaf attached to a card, which Gerry had prepared ahead of time. Dennis Gertenbach and Carol Codrescu, assisted by many other volunteers were heavily involved in the children's activities, which consisted of the children's wheel, kid's dig site and sale of grab bags, which netted several hundred dollars for scholarships.

Out at the front desk Shirley Mehta and Richard Smith greeted newcomers at the door, accepting the entrance fee and having them fill out forms for the drawings, which took place twice every hour, for prizes which had been made by the "Wednesday night crew" who meet every Wednesday night at Charlotte Morrison's house to engage in crafts, or should we say "crafty activities." Just kidding, Charlotte. Grand prizes were a pearl necklace made by Joyce Gilbert and a beautiful piece of turquoise donated by David and Harriet Grahm of the Bad Boys of Cripple Creek. Charlotte was of course everywhere, overseeing the giving of prizes and other activities, and ably assisted by Lou Yoder. We understand that Terry O'Donnell presented such a great sales talk to incoming visitors that we were able to sign up 15 new members, with possibly more on the way.

The 2003 Flatirons Gem and Mineral Show was held for the first time at the Boulder Elks Lodge, November 14-16, 2003. Attendance was ca. 500 people throughout, plus 225 elementary school students Friday afternoon.

Exhibits - 24 display cases plus special exhibits

Cases

Paul Boni, Flatirons Club Field Trips and Crafts

Hallie Cook, Petrified Wood and Tampa Bay Coral

Howard and Darlene Emry, Fossil Plants, Creed, Colorado

Cheryl Erman, Beaders at Colorado Mineral Society

Ray and Charles Gilbert, Minerals and Lapidary

Harlan Hugg, Church of the Rockhounds

Bill, Marcella, and William Hutchinson, Three Field Collectors

Tom Kohnen, Three cases from the Gilman Mines

J J & L, Slices of Brazilian Agates

Bob and Caren Johannes (Amethyst Rose)

Charlotte Morrison, Beads and Lapidary

Cory Olin, Mineral Collection

John and Donna Rhoads (D&J Rare Gems), Peridot Mesa - including both rough and faceted stones collected at the site, plus photographs of the club's field trip there.

Les Robinette, Fossil Mammals, White River Formation

Jordan Sawdo, Thumbnail Fossils

Western Interior Paleontological Society (WIPS), Crinoids - Jordan Sawdo, co-founder of WIPS, assembled their annual case with crinoids from his collection and few additions from other members. The feature photograph was of a new genus found by Jordan and named Eretmocrinus sawdoi. He has donated the fossil to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Fluorescent Room

John Hurst brought a collection of fluorescent minerals to show in a utility room. John and several other club members opened this area every half hour, using both long- and short-wave ultraviolet light. All children received a fluorescent calcite to take home.

Touch-Me Rocks

A collection of large, sturdy, very touchable specimens was arrayed at the club table, with captions in print and braille. This exhibit is also a regular feature of the Flatirons Club Table at the September Denver Gem and Mineral Show.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management

The BLM sent an array of informational materials to be viewed and/or distributed at the show.

Programs & Classes

Beginning Silversmithing - Don Norris

Hard Soldering - Don Norris

Pearl stringing - Emily Epstein

Wire Wrap - Carl Bird

Slide/lecture by by Joe Tempel, executive director of Dinosaur Ridge.

Demonstrations

Lapidary work/cabochon cutting - Terry O'Donnell, Bill Hutchinson, Emily Epstein, David Graham

Wire Wrap - Carl Bird

Silversmithing - Don Norris

Faceting - Paul Boni

Children's Activities

All proceeds from children's activities went directly into the club's scholarship fund.

Grab Bags -- Handmade cloth pouches containing an assortment of rock specimens, collected, prepared, and labeled by club members and friends, and sold to fund scholarships to the School of Mines.

Fish Pond -- Another way to get a grab bag, much favored by the younger crowd.

Preschool Dig Site -- Dig for specimens without the insect, weather, gravity, and other hazards of rockhounding.

Scavenger Hunt -- Gather information from the exhibits and the dealers, get a prize!

Gold Panning -- The Gold Prospectors of the Rockies were unable to attend due to an unexpected crisis. FMC member Gerry Naugle stepped in and ran a gold panning demo throughout the weekend. Every kid who participated left with a genuine flake of gold.

Children's Wheel -- Especially for kids: spin the wheel, get a rock. A great way for pebble pups to build their collection in the off season.

Return to Flatirons Mineral Club 2004 Show Page

Return to Flatirons Mineral Club Home Page

Return to Boulder Community Network home page

Updated 1/24/04