WANTED: Your Most Memorable Show Story

0
Tom Sloyer, artist and owner of Head Lands Fantasy Art
Tom Sloyer, artist and owner of Head Lands Fantasy Art, nestled in his booth at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, was surrounded by various examples of the crystal and mineral sculptures he creates.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the many things people tell us they miss most is attending gem and mineral shows. We hear you and hope more shows can make a safe return in 2021. As you can see on the Show Dates page of our website, some clubs and promoters are planning to host shows in various areas of the country in the coming months, undoubtedly with safety protocols and added measures to protect the public and vendors.

Jeffrey Anderson, owner of Dwarves Earth Treasures
Jeffrey Anderson, the owner of Dwarves Earth Treasures, enjoys the sunshine and visiting with fans of geodes as they stop to review his inventory of geodes and agates at the 2020 Quartzite Pow-Wow. (Thomas Farley)

Even if shows are still few and far between, we will wager a bet that many readers have a lifetime of memories about time spent at past shows. Is that you, your fellow club members, or someone you know? If so, we hope you’ll take some time to flip through the archive of your mind to recall a particularly memorable show. Perhaps it is a hilarious or inspiring event that took place at a show, a time when you met someone you admired, a new friend, or an old friend with whom you renewed a connection, or perhaps a show where you introduced a business, new specimen, or equipment to the world.

Junior rockhound Theo Gallegos
Junior rockhound Theo Gallegos adds another specimen to his collection at a gem show, where he enjoys interacting with dealers to learn more about gemstone specimens.

Whatever the memorable show moment was, we want to hear about it. As part of our year-long Rock & Gem 50th anniversary celebration, we invite you to share your most memorable show story for a chance to win an R&G 50th Anniversary prize. Your story will also appear in the limited-edition Rock & Gem 50th Anniversary Commemorative issue, which will be available in late June/early July 2021. The potential prizes – we’ll select at random for the surprise prize – include a gem or mineral, R&G gear, a one-year subscription to Rock & Gem, a gift certificate for use with one of our advertising partner business, and books and videos. A panel of Rock & Gem contributors will review the stories and select the winning entry. All story submissions will be published on the Rock & Gem website.

Entry Rules

1. Stories must not exceed 300 words.

2. We welcome the Inclusion of one photo (with caption information) to accompany the story submission.

3. Submit stories via email to arahn@beckett.com or by mail to Antoinette Rahn c/o Rock & Gem, 415 West Fulton St. #9, Waupaca WI 54981.

4. Story submissions must be received by Feb. 17, 2021.


Magazine subscription

If you enjoyed what you’ve read here we invite you to consider signing up for the FREE Rock & Gem weekly newsletter. Learn more>>>

In addition, we invite you to consider subscribing to Rock & Gem magazine. The cost for a one-year U.S. subscription (12 issues) is $29.95. Learn more >>>