Minnesota Mineral Club Announces a New Show Admissions Policy

The Minnesota Mineral Club's Board and Show committee have set a new show admissions policy as follows: All Children 16 and under shall have free admission. All others 17 and older shall also have free admission, but will be asked for a $1 voluntary donation which will be used to help defray event costs and support the club's annual scholarship fund.

"We are in an exciting new facility," club president John Porter states. "We want to kick off this move to a new date and location with a bang."

Last year's event was canceled, as was the club's big 75th-anniversary celebration, all due to covid. "We are into rocks and mining and we found a silver lining," says Earl Netwal, the club's publicity director.

"We were cramped in our prior location and knew that social distancing would complicate if not prevent our return to the Cottage Grove Armory after many happy years there," Earl continues.

The club's solution was a new venue that features a larger, more contiguous space with ample outside room for outdoor vendors and in a very familiar and much more central location within the Twin Cities Metro area.

"We are shooting for 5000 attendees," says John Porter. If achieved, that would make the event the largest rock and gem show in the Twin Cities in the past decade or more.

The show will be held in the Dairy Building, 1694 Judson Ave, St Paul on Saturday, September 25 from 10 AM to 5 PM and on Sunday, September 26 from 10 AM to 4 PM.

Another change this year is the food arrangements. The fairgrounds will be providing food trucks that will offer a variety of food styles. This change will free up kitchen volunteers to assume other duties.

The Minnesota Mineral Club's Annual Rock Mineral & Gem Show itself will feature club members demonstrating various lapidary tools and techniques, answering questions, and sharing tips and tricks.

The club will have a membership table for prospective new members to get information.

Additional tables will be dedicated to the Club's popular Field Trips and also T-shirt sales.

One of the more popular tables every year is the "Rock Identification" table where attendees can get their favorite "Mystery" rock identified by knowledgeable experts.

The Club prides itself on its outreach to kids as well as its support of scholarship and understanding of the Earth Sciences.

This year's Kids Korner will focus on a handful of Hands-On activities designed to stimulate young rock hounds' awareness of the natural world.

For most attendees, the big draw is the actual bourse or vendor area of the show. This year's event has drawn some of the region's top dealers as well as a number of new faces, offering a wide array of Agates, Carvings, Fossils, Gems, Jewelry, Minerals, Rocks, and more.

"The Dairy Building which is larger than our prior armory venue is full, and we have an overflow of over a dozen dealers who have signed up for outdoor spots, so far," according to show chair, Daniel Bissonette.