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    Rockhounds Host “Super Bowl” of Gem Shows at Ventura County Fairgrounds

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    Event:                Ventura Rocks the Nation!  National Show of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies

    Sponsor:            Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, educational organization

    Dates & Times:  Friday & Saturday, June 9 & 10 (10:00 AM to 5:00 PM) Sunday, June 11 (10:00 AM to 4:00 PM)

    Show Address:  Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura, CA 93001

    Admission:        Adults, $7.00 (3-day pass, $18.00)

                                Seniors 60+ & Military, $6.00 (3-day pass, $15.00)

                                Juniors (13-17), $4.00 (3-day pass, $9.00)

                                 Kids 12 & under, free with paid adult

    (Note: The Fairgrounds also charges a parking fee if parking in the Fairground lot.)

    Chair/Contact:    Diane Cook, (805) 312-8467, [email protected]

    Website:               www.2017CFMS-AFMSShow.com

    Ventura Mayor Erik Nasarenko will cut the ribbon to welcome some 3,000 “rockhounds” as they converge on the Ventura County Fairgrounds June 9-11 for Ventura Rocks the Nation!  This national show and convention of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS) is open to the general public.

    Throughout the U.S. are some 600 gem and mineral societies, including three here in Ventura County.  Most hold their own small local shows.  Collectively, these societies are joined under the umbrella of the AFMS, and once a year, they come together for what’s often described as “the Super Bowl of gem shows”.  The setting for the show circulates around the U.S., and this year it comes to Ventura thanks to a bid submitted by our local Ventura Gem & Mineral Society (VGMS).  This year’s show has been entitled Ventura Rocks the Nation! to highlight gems, minerals, and fossils from across the U.S.A.  A beautiful gold specimen will be one of the featured displays.  Discovered by a young girl in Placer County in 1871, the California Golden Bear nugget is normally housed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History but will be on temporary display at the show alongside samples of our state gemstone (sapphire-blue benitoite), our state rock (serpentine), and our state fossil (the saber-toothed cat).  The L.A. Museum will also enter a display of its own of California minerals.

    This year’s “Super Bowl” organizers invite the general public to enjoy educational displays, dealers and demonstrators, exciting speakers, silent auctions, and raffles.  There will be a big focus on kids with a section of the show set aside for children’s activities.  Also, certified teachers will find free materials for classroom use!

    A Speakers Series features nontechnical lectures appropriate for kids and adults alike with talks on such topics as gemstones, dinosaurs, petrified wood, meteorites, agates, rules and regulations on collecting in the California desert, and more.  These include speakers from such institutions as UCLA and Rock & Gem magazine.

    Kids love rocks, so they’re sure to enjoy the Kids Booth.  It will include a display about dinosaurs found right here in California.  A variety of interactive activities are either free or priced to match a child’s budget.  These include a dino excavation box; free coloring activities; a spinning wheel where kids win a prize with every spin; grab bags filled with rocks, minerals, and fossils; “create-your-own-collection” where kids can pick a half dozen specimens to take home; a sand-sifting activity to pick out rocks, gems, and fossil shark teeth as prizes; a “mine for tourmaline” dig; and coloring books, rocks, and paint-a-fossil kits for sale.  In addition, representatives from the California Oil Museum in Santa Paula and Women in Mining will have hands-on interactive displays and a Los Angeles prospecting club will show kids and adults alike how to pan for gold.  Kids who arrive early on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday have a special prize to look forward to:  backpacks and sackpacks with a pencil box of school supplies.  These will be given away free to the first 50 kids (ages 5-12) who arrive at the Kids Booth.  For the teachers of kids in our community, we’ll provide teacher resources for free, including rock samples and a packet with teacher resources.  We further encourage kids and teachers alike to attend a terrific family-oriented dinosaur presentation by Richard Wade.

    For kids, teachers, and the public in general, between 50 and 100 educational displays and exhibits are expected of hand-crafted jewelry and carvings, gemstones and crystals, minerals, fossils, and petrified wood.  These exhibits have been assembled from private collections and craftsmen throughout California and the U.S. and should be exceptional, given that many will be entered into refereed competition vying for trophies.  The workmanship and specimens in these exhibits will be of museum quality.

    The displays will be augmented by demonstrators illustrating how rough stones are crafted into gleaming gems.  You’ll be able to watch these lapidary artists at work and question them for tips to try yourself.  They’ll demonstrate lapidary arts that include:  gemstone grinding, carving and polishing; jewelry techniques and copper work; silversmithing; silver clay jewelry making; glass bead forging; bead stringing; fossil cleaning and prep; and sphere-making to craft round gemstone balls from blocks of rough stone.

    For those who like to get a jump on Christmas shopping, many of the artist/demonstrators will have finished art pieces for sale at their booths.  Plus, 50 vendors are expected, selling all manner of rock-related materials:  rough chunks and slabs of agate, jasper, marble, and onyx for lapidary artists to cut, carve, and polish; gemstone rough (amethyst, opal, emerald, sapphire, ruby, tourmaline, jade, etc.) to cab or to facet; cut, faceted, and polished gemstones ready to be mounted into jewelry settings; the lapidary tools and equipment with which to cut, carve, and polish, including rock tumblers, grinding and polishing machines, rock saws, and other supplies; both common and rare mineral specimens, gemstone crystals, and meteorites for beginners through advanced collectors; fossils and petrified wood from around the world; gem-, mineral-, and fossil-related publications and fieldtrip guidebooks; beads of all sorts; stone carvings, spheres, and other sculpted works; and fine custom jewelry ready to wear, including pendants, earrings, necklaces, belt buckles, and bracelets.

    In addition to the professional vendors, the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society will conduct an hourly silent auction for lapidary rocks to cut and polish into gleaming gems, as well as minerals, geodes, petrified wood, and fossils.  Auctions will held throughout the show.  Finally, there will be a raffle.  Those purchasing winning tickets will be able to take home lots of great prizes that include: a crisp $100 bill; a silver bullion bar; silver coins; all manner of high quality jewelry and lapidary items, including turquoise and opal pendants; gemstone, mineral, and fossil specimens; an amethyst geode, and more.

    The American Federation of Mineralogical Societies is dedicated to encouraging interest in geology, mineralogy, paleontology, the lapidary arts, and related areas through education, activities, and exhibitions, such as this nationwide show.  AFMS is composed of clubs from throughout the U.S.A. The AFMS and its 600+ member societies are 501(c)3 nonprofit, educational organizations.  Proceeds from shows like this go toward educational endeavors, such as scholarship funds for undergraduate and graduate college students and a free badge program for children.  During an awards dinner Saturday night, not only will trophies be given for best competitive displays, but also scholarships will be awarded to college students working toward degrees in geology, the earth sciences, and/or lapidary arts.

    For further information, please contact Show Chair Diane Cook (805-312-8467, [email protected]) or Show Publicity Chair, Jim Brace-Thompson (805-659-3577, [email protected]).  Photos are available on request.  Please contact Jim Brace-Thompson at the phone number or email address noted above.

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