Annual Minnesota Rock & Mineral Show to Be Held at Minnesota State Fairgrounds in September

The Minnesota Mineral Club has announced that its annual Minnesota rock show will be held on September 25, Saturday, and September 26, Sunday, at the Dairy Building on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. The show will be open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday, and from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday. Admission will be free for this yearly rock, mineral and gem show, with a suggested $1 donation at the door for adults 17 or older. The club expects this year’s show to be the biggest in recent club history because of their recent move to a more central and bigger facility.

On display at the club’s annual rock, mineral, and gem show will be rocks, minerals, jewelry, gems, fossils, carvings, agates, and more. In addition to both indoor and outdoor vendors, the event will also include a rock identification table for those mystery rocks that attendees want to identify. Many items will be available for sale, including rocks, agates, minerals, gems, jewelry, fossils, lapidary, and beads. This annual show was not held in 2020 because of the pandemic. Last year, they sought alternate locations for the show, which resulted in the selection of the Dairy Building on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.

Members of the Minnesota Mineral Club will be demonstrating how different kinds of lapidary tools can convert ordinary rocks into attractive items. Exhibitors will be sharing some tips and tricks and a number of the club members will be displaying some of the items they obtained from their rock collecting efforts. There will also be a kid’s corner with various kinds of activities designed to encourage them to get started on an adventure of learning about the earth sciences.

The center of attraction of the show will, of course, be the vast vendors’ area, where they will display their wares, including a wide range of: rocks, tumbled stones, gems, crystals, carvings, lapidary-related jewelry, fossils, equipment, books, home and garden décor, and more. More than two dozen vendors are expected to show their items indoors, plus a dozen or more outdoor vendors will also display their wares. State fair food trucks will also be available at the event to ensure that attendees won’t go hungry.

The Minnesota Mineral Club is a non-profit organization that is focused on the study of mineralogy, paleontology, geology, and the lapidary arts. They are an educational organization that is based in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. However, membership is open to residents of other states. The club is a member of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies and the Midwest Federation of Mineralogical and Geological Societies. They hold monthly meetings and anyone is free to attend.

They provide their members of a broad range of programs at their meetings, such as: presentations by interesting speakers; silent auctions; demonstrations of several lapidary skills and techniques; displays of members’ collections; an annual banquet; and contests. All of their meeting programs are free and anyone can attend. These meetings are held every second Saturday of the month, except for the months of June, July and August, at the Falcon Heights City Hall.

For those who are interested in becoming a member of the Minnesota Mineral Club, the membership dues are $18 for a single membership and $27 for a family membership. Members can attend club-sponsored field trips and receive the club’s monthly publication, the “Rock Rustler’s New.”

The Minnesota Mineral Club is engaged in a number of activities. These include education, mineral identification, outreach, silent auctions, lapidary arts, information sharing, encouraging youth participation, and friendships. They make sure that education about the earth sciences is fun and they encourage children of all ages to participate in their activities.

Meanwhile, their website offers various links and tutorials to help those who are having problems in identifying minerals. The links bring people to resources that have expertise in mineral identification.

They are often invited to make presentations at elementary and high school level earth science classes. Furthermore, they also participate with other organizations that are engaged in geological education.

Those who are interested in learning more about the activities of the rock & mineral club can check out the Minnesota Mineral Club website, or contact them on the phone or through email.