www.Facebook.com/DelAirRockhounds
Member of the California & American Federation of Mineralogical Societies
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7618, Van Nuys, CA 91409
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
The Del Air Rockhounds Club Welcomes You!!
www.Facebook.com/DelAirRockhounds
Member of the California & American Federation of Mineralogical Societies
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7618, Van Nuys, CA 91409
February 2026 Del-Air Rockhounds Calendar of Events
Thursday February 5: General Meeting Saturday February 14: Valentine's Day Monday February 16: President's Day Thursday February 19: Board Meeting
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February 2026 Program: “Fairburn Agates”
Presented by: Austin Lippincott
Austin Lippincott is a prominent figure in the rockhounding community known for his expertise in and collection of Fairburn Agates, the state gemstone of South Dakota. Fairburn agates are highly sought after by collectors for their unique visual characteristics and rarity. Fortification Banding: Their most defining feature is sharp, angular fortification banding that distinguishes them from other types of agates. Prices can range significantly based on size and quality, with rare specimens selling for over $5,000. The current record-holder is valued at approximately $13,000. They are primarily found in southwestern South Dakota, notably the Kern agate beds east of Fairburn, and northwestern Nebraska. In most collecting areas, you do not have to dig at all, as Fairburn agates are primarily found on the surface. However, in specialized mining sites, pay layers can be found at depths ranging from just below the surface to approximately 6 feet deep.
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February 2026 Rock of the Month: Serpentine
Our February rock is Serpentine. Serpentine is a group of hydrous magnesium-rich silicate minerals that often appear green, mottled, or scaly, resembling snake skin. It is the state rock of California. Bring in any samples of serpentine you may have to our February meeting and share it with the group.
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Remaining 2026 Quartzsite Dates:
Desert Gardens - Jan 1 thru Feb 28
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CONEJO GEM AND MINERAL CLUB’S 49TH ANNUAL SHOW
PAGEANT OF A THOUSAND GEMS
WHEN: April Sat 18, 2026 , 10 am-5 pm - Sun 19, 10am-4pm.
WHERE: Borchard Community Center, 190 N. Reino Road, Thousand Oaks 91320
THE SHOW INCLUDES: Exhibits of mineral and rock collections, gems, jewelry; Silent Auction of rocks and minerals in the rough and fossils; Demonstrators of lapidary work; Youth Room with games & prizes; Plant sale; Hourly Raffle. FREE ENTRY & FREE PARKING. For more info go to www.CGAMC.org
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January 2026 Del-Air Rockhounds Calendar of Events
Thursday January 1: New Years Day Thursday January 8: General Meeting Thursday January 15: Board Meeting Saturday January 17: Shop Day - Paid Members Only Monday January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Saturday January 31: Whale Bone Field Trip
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January 2026 Program: “Iceland: Land of the Unexpected”
Presented by: Keri Dearborn & Michael Lawshe
Volcanoes shaped by ice. Landscapes in a constant state of change. Fumaroles and bubbling thermal pools created by tectonic plates on the move. In 2024, Keri Dearborn and Michael Lawshe ventured to Iceland and discovered that not only is it a volcanic wonderland, it’s a land of the unexpected. Here, the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate continue to pull away from each other, expanding Iceland and creating new islands where geologic processes are reshaping scientific thought. The unique geology influences wildlife and has shaped human culture for millennia. Within this world of glacial-carved basalt there are also pockets of surprising treasure–geodes, agate, quartz, jasper, and more. “We’re excited to share the amazing geology of Iceland in our new program. Iceland is beautiful, fascinating, and we never expected to find a one-of-a-kind rock shop.” Keri Dearborn is an author and environmental educator. She and her husband Michael Lawshé were members of the Del Air Rockhounds for over 30 years and have given programs on the Geological Wonders of the Channel Islands, Fossils of Santa Rosa Island, and Saving the Island Fox on CA’s Channel Islands.
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January 2026 Rock of the Month: Fossilized Whale Bone
In honor of our January field trip, this month's rock is fossilized whale bone. Bring in any samples of the marvelous fossilized bone you may have and share it with the group. This is a great chance to show new members, or those who have never been on this annual field trip, exactly what it is that we are hunting for.
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2026 Elected Club Officers:
President: Jeff Dengrove
Vice President: Aileen Beckers
2nd Vice President: Bernadette Friedman
Secretary: Bob Dearborn
Treasurer: Shellie Van Winkle
Federation Director: Diana Durfee
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January Field Trip Saturday January 31, 2026: Paid Members Only
It's the annual Del-Air Club Whale Bone Hunt at Refugio Beach in Goleta, CA. We will have a 10:00 am meet-up in the parking lot at Refugio Beach. Jeff Dengrove will be there with samples of what you will be looking for. Dress in layers and bring a picnic lunch and drinks as there are no stores in the immediate vicinity. Bring a bag or bucket to carry your finds in. This is always a popular and well-attended event. We hope to see you all there. Take the 101 freeway about 100 miles north to the Refugio Beach exit. There is a $10 parking fee.
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1st Quarter Shop Day: Paid Members Only
Saturday January 17, 2026 - 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
The Del-Air Club will have their first quarter shop day of 2026 on Saturday, January 17 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at Jeff Dengroves's home. Bring the Malawi Agate you received at the Holiday party and we'll show you how to polish it. Please plan on arriving a bit early and staying a bit late to help set up and take down the equipment. Jeff Dengrove will be taking down names of those who wish to attend during our January general meeting.
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Crystal Tabby Field Trip Report - December 6th. 2025
The Del Air’s received an invitation from the Crystal Tabby Rock Wholesale Co. for its annual sales event. And members Jeff Dengrove, Dan Farber, Dr. Oh, Olga Wolf, Dean & Alex Tran, Bob & Maxine Dearborn, Martina & Rudy Rodriguez, Dennis Miller and Joe Mastro took advantage of this 1 day event. We went looking through the goodies many times and it never failed to see something very cool that was missed before. Like a carved rattlesnake out of really pretty agate that showed many colors under a black light! If you didn’t venture out for this special 1 day event you really missed a great trip! And YES we did purchase a couple items at this special wholesale price.
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Chatsworth Holiday Parade & Festival Report
Sunday December 14, 2025
Our club had a final educational booth for the year at the Chatsworth Holiday Festival. Members: Bob Knox, Rudy & Martina Rodriguez, Shellie VanWinkle, Jeff Dengrove, Pam Abbott, Dan Farber, Bernadette Friedman and Bob & Maxine Dearborn helped to set the booth up, run the booth and take it down almost in the dark. We had a good booth with a large Dino display and a volcano touch and feel area. Our free educational game was there and the spin a wheel, plus the sellable items. But, not many people were doing more than looking at our pretty stuff. We did talk to many about our displays, educational items and our club which is always good. A big thank you to all our members who helped this day!
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Desert Gardens - Jan 1 thru Feb 28
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Tuesday, November 25, 2025
December 2025 Del-Air Calendar of Events
Thursday December 4: Holiday Party
Saturday December 6: Field Trip to Crystal Tabby - Paid Members Only
Sunday December 14: Chatsworth Kiwanis Holiday Parade & Festival
Sunday December 14: Hanukkah Begins at Sundown
Thursday December 18: Board Meeting
Sunday December 21: First Day of Winter
Wednesday December 31: New Years Eve
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Important Announcement
Our January 2026 general meeting happens to fall on New Years Day. We are in the process of changing our meeting date to Thursday January 8, 2026 with the staff at the church. They are unable to give us a definitive answer until the day after Christmas. So as of right now, we are planning on meeting on the 8th of January. If this should change, we will notify the membership via email. Please make sure to check your emails regularly beginning the day after Christmas to keep yourselves updated on this situation. President Jeff Dengrove will also make an announcement regarding this at the Holiday Party on Thursday December 4th. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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December 2025 Program:
Annual Holiday Party & 2026 Elections - Paid Members Only
It's our annual Holiday Party and Election of our 2026 Board of Directors! Our program is on Malawi Agates and our holiday meal will be our usual pot-luck extravaganza provided by our extraordinary membership. In addition to our program and elections, there will be fun, games, and prizes for all. The board of directors wish to thank Holiday Party chairwoman, Bernadette Friedman and her team, the Dearborns, Shellie Van Winkle, Aileen Beckers, and Pam Abbott for their dedication and hard work in putting this party together. Thanks All!
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December Field Trip - Paid Members Only
Crystal Tabby - Saturday Dec 6, 2025
Meet-up will be at 10:00 am Saturday December 6, 2025 at their warehouse in Azusa. The Crystal Tabby is one of the largest mineral wholesalers in the United States. They carry a vast selection of crystals, polished, tumbled stones and rough minerals, fossils and geodes. They carry both natural and treated rocks and crystals. They supply rock shops, museums, and metaphysical stores. They sell items for gifts, jewelry-making, interior decorating, and much more. They have invited our club to come and shop at their wholesale prices plus tax. They do this just once a year so plan on attending this event. A great place to do your holiday shopping.
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2026 Proposed Slate of Club Officers:
President: Jeff Dengrove
Vice President: Aileen Beckers
2nd Vice President: Bernadette Friedman
Secretary: Bob Dearborn
Treasurer: Shellie Van Winkle
Federation Director: OPEN
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January Field Trip Teaser Saturday January 31, 2026 - Paid Members Only
It's the annual Del-Air Club Whale Bone Hunt at Refugio Beach in Goleta, CA. We will have a 10:00 am meet-up in the parking lot at Refugio Beach. Jeff Dengrove will be there with samples of what you will be looking for. Dress in layers and bring a picnic lunch and drinks as there are no stores in the immediate vicinity. Bring a bag or bucket to carry your finds in. This is always a popular and well-attended event. We hope to see you all there.
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Sunday December 14, 2025 - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
The Del-Air Club will, once again, host a double booth (two 10 x 10 pop-ups) at this event. We will have our touch & feel specimens, spin-a-wheel, grab bags, educational games and our boutique items. Set-up will begin at 9:00 am and the event runs from 12 noon until 5:00 pm with parade step-off beginning at 1:00 pm. We will be located in the Festival area on Canoga Ave just west of Devonshire St. We are looking for volunteers to help run the booth for 2 hour shifts between 12 noon and 5 pm. Please see a board member during the holiday party to advise on when you'd like to help out.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
November 2025 Del-Air Calendar of Events
Sunday November 2: Daylight Savings Time Ends
Thursday November 6: General Meeting
Tuesday November 11: Veterans Day
Saturday November 15: Workshop Maintenance Day
Thursday November 20: Board Meeting
Thursday November 27: Thanksgiving Day
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November 2025 Program: "The Vivid Tourmaline from Birth to Perfection" Presented by: Joe Mastro
The presentation of "The Vivid Tourmaline From Birth To Perfection" will encompass what tourmalines are and the crystallization process in which the tourmaline grows from start to exemplary specimen or unremarkable crystal. We will discuss what makes quality crystals what they are from the materials used to the different types of crystallization processes in which the tourmaline is created. We will discuss what sorts of conditions were needed to create gem grade and different levels of quality crystal inside the pegmatite or crystallization process at the time. From there, we will travel to one of the world's biggest tourmaline mines (and my personal favorite), to discuss the tourmaline mining process from how pegmatite dikes and pegmatite pockets are harvested and how a pocket and pegmatite dike is situated in that tourmaline mine. We will also look at 2 other tourmaline mines and talk about the differences in quality and host materials available at each site which makes the crystal from that site special to that specific mine. Lastly, we will chat about where the average collector can find tourmaline in nature today.
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November Rocks of the Month: Toxic Rocks
Toxic rocks and minerals contain hazardous elements that can be harmful through inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption. While most rocks are safe, some contain toxic minerals that can cause serious health problems if not handled properly. Some examples are Arsenopyrite, Asbestos, Cinnabar, Orpiment and Realgar among others. Do you have any such examples in your collection? Our 5-minute Talk this month will be about toxic rocks.
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2026 Proposed Slate of Club Officers:
President: Jeff Dengrove
Vice President: Aileen Beckers
2nd Vice President: Bernadette Friedman
Secretary: Bob Dearborn
Treasurer: Shellie Van Winkle
Federation Director: OPEN
Our election of 2026 Club Officers will take place during our December Holiday Party. Nominations will be taken from the floor for all positions. Bob Knox had to step down as our Federation Director so we will be needing someone to step up to the plate and volunteer for this position. The job is very simple. The volunteer will be responsible for monitoring the CFMS website and their monthly newsletter for pertinent news or information, if any, and reporting this back to our membership at each general meeting and attend a CFMS Directors meeting twice a year, once in the Spring during the CFMS annual show & convention (California location to be determined) and one in the Fall (always in Visalia, California). The club pays for the hotel room and for gas. Attending these meetings is encouraged but not mandatory. You will also be a voting member of the Del-Air board and can make your voice heard on all club business decisions. Anyone interested should speak with any board member.
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