August 2023 Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting of Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society
Meeting date: August 14, 2023
Twenty-two members enjoyed looking at the fossils that were brought for show and tell. Cindy and Lori had samples of shells, sea urchins & shark's teeth they had collected in Surry County last weekend. Larry had some coral from Aurora, NC. Steven had some fossils from VA. Debbie had large & small ammonites from Africa.
Jack gave an update about the show. {Our treasurer, Scott, has moved to NC for a new job. He will continue to work as treasurer & be the co-chair of the show. We wish him well on this new adventure.}
- Publicize!! Our FaceBook audience is growing quickly and by leaps and bounds. He & Scott are working to advertise on TV, through community bulletin boards, press releases & Instagram & YouTube. They are depending on the club members to distribute posters, fliers, display car magnets, and put up yard signs. (available at the Sep. meeting)
- Physical needs - We need lots of help setting up 200 tables in the 2 large rooms on Thursday, Sep. 21st from 8 am to 1 pm. Some vendors will arrive that afternoon, and the remainder early Friday morning. They will need assistance bringing in their wares and setting them up. We will need lots of willing workers on Sunday after 5 pm to assist vendors in breaking down their items. We will need to fold up and put away all the tables and sweep the floors. Till around 9 pm.
- FYI The Lynchburg club is hosting the annual field trip to Mt. Willis on that Saturday. Staunton is conducting their annual "Mischief & Magic" show that weekend so there will be 20,000 folks looking for something to do. Our vendors are looking forward to our yearly feast on Friday - plan on bringing food, desserts, & drinks to share.
I will send a separate email to sign up to volunteer at the show. Please help, even if you can only be there for a few hours on a particular day. Thanks in advance.
Mike, our president, gave a very interesting talk with slides about the VA Museum of Natural History. He & Karen visited the museum in Martinsville on a bus trip.
They got to go "behind the scenes" and were impressed with the research going on there. He had some photos of the minerals displayed there (which were of medium quality if compared to the JMU collection).
The Diplodocus skeleton displayed in the lobby was a replica, but some of the actual bones were in the backrooms. There were lots of other dinosaur skeletons and bones on display as well. Jefferson's ground sloth made a "huge" impression, as it towered above Mike in his photo.
The museum has over 10,000,000 specimens!!! They visited the backrooms and saw many rows of cabinets with drawers full of specimens of birds, insects, bones, and a lot of scary worm-like creatures in jars. Hahn Hall exhibited many animals from Africa that were donated by Dr. Hahn, president emeritus of VT.
There was a section on the geology of VA with samples of rock and explanations of plate tectonics and structural formations. To learn more go to www.vmnh.net. But, it is best seen in person. It's worth the 3 hour trip there!! (I've been and so have several other club members. It is a great educational venue.)
Part two of his talk dealt with the proposed branch of the VA Museum of Natural History to be built in Waynesboro.
The Virginia General Assembly is working on moving the project from the 6-year Capital Outlay Plan to the Capital Pool during the 2024 VA General Assembly Session. Plans are to have a 2024 ground-breaking ceremony.
The building will be 2 stories with 28,000 sq. ft. of space to include an entrance hall with classrooms, meeting rooms and exhibit rooms. The focus will be on the ecological, geological, & cultural history of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley. The proposal includes 65,000 visitors annually with a $2 million impact on the local economy.
Mike is going to send letters from the club to our two VA representatives who are supporting the project. We would appreciate any club member who wishes to show support and appreciation to send a letter to:
Senator Emmett Hanger
PO Box 2
Mount Solon, VA 22834-002
—and—
Delegate John Avoli
PO Box 1942
Staunton, VA 22402
Let's hope this comes about soon!! And thanks to Mike for the tour!
Field Trips: We are not planning any field trips any time soon, but if anyone knows of places to collect in small groups, let the club secretary know and they can send out the info.
Looking ahead:
Our next meeting will be on Monday, August 14th at 6:30 pm at the Bridgewater Baptist Church.
The lapidary shop will be open the Saturday following a regular meeting. (See Events At A Glance for a calendar view). Charlie & Jack can assist you. Open from 9 am to noon. This is a small enclosed space; please follow whatever COVID protective guidelines you think appropriate.
There are several slab saws and trim saws. Keep in mind that safety is a priority, and wear closed toe shoes, safety glasses, with no loose hair or long sleeves. Children must be supervised and closely monitored to insure they are safely using the equipment. Check this page to see what you can learn to do!
If you’d like to present a program, please talk to an officer at a meeting.
Be sure to keep up with our website www.shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org and our Facebook page Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society for updates and information.
Deborah Grimm, Secretary
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Club Officers and Staff 2016-2023
President – Michael Pabst
Vice President – Leo Cloutier
Educational Outreach -- Deborah Grimm
Secretary/Newsletter -- Deborah Grimm
Field Trip Coordinators - TBD
Co-Treasurers – Scott Gregory/Deborah Grimm
Show Team Leaders – Scott Gregory/Jack Glenn
Web Site Coordinator – Jack Glenn
Club web site: shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org
Club Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahValleyGemMineralSociety
Club email: svgem-min-club@live.com