PORT ANGELES — Rock enthusiasts from across Clallam County are preparing for the seventh annual Rock, Gem &Jewelry Show this weekend.
The free show will be at the Vern Burton Community Center, 308 E. Fourth St., on Saturday and Sunday.
The show is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Kathy Schreiner, show coordinator for the Clallam County Gem &Mineral Association, urges people to go to the show because, she said, everyone loves rocks.
“There seems to be a magnet between kids and rocks,” she said.
“And it’s not only the little kids; it’s the big kids.
“There’s a natural attraction between rocks and people.”
Schreiner estimated about 4,000 people have attended the event each year.
The show, sponsored by the Port Angeles Parks and Recreation Department and the Clallam County Gem & Mineral Association, will feature upward of 40 vendors, she said.
There’s 41 spaces, but some vendors take more than one space.
Vendors come from Clallam County and from across the country with polished rocks, rock slabs and chunks of rock.
One vendor will crack geodes. Others deal with amethyst, larimar, fossils, beads and jewelry, Schreiner said.
“We have a real interesting variety of vendors,” she said. “They are all very knowledgeable in their fields and will be available to help anyone.”
She said guests can bring rocks, crystal or fossils in hopes of having their specimens identified.
There will be two guest speakers during the rock show.
Elaine Bickle, who retired to Port Angeles in 2007, will present “Just Fossils” from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, Schreiner said.
Bickle lectured geology and biology on university and college levels for more than 30 years in Arkansas and often gives talks, classes and guided geology field trips at the Port Angeles Senior &Community Center and lectures at the Port Angeles Library.
Russel Bogs will help identify mystery rocks when he presents from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Boggs, who completed master’s and doctorate programs at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will also offer personal field-collecting techniques.
The show also provides games for kids, Schreiner said.
Children are invited to “Rock Alley,” which will feature a few games and provide free rocks for kids while supplies last.
A raffle will be held for rock slabs, crystals, fossils and jewelry, Schreiner said.
Raffle tickets are $1, and the winner will be announced at 3 p.m. Sunday. Those who enter the raffle don’t need to be present to win, she said.
The Port Angeles unit of the Boys &Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula will serve lunch. All proceeds will benefit the Port Angeles unit.
For more information, call Schreiner at 360-681-3811
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsula dailynews.com.
