Member of the California & American Federation of Mineralogical Societies
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7618, Van Nuys, CA 91409 - Phone # 818-439-0217
The Del Air Rockhounds Club, Inc Los Angeles - San Fernando Valley, California, United States - We are a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing knowledge of the lapidary arts and techniques, geology, mineralogy and related fields.
Thursday March 2: General Meeting 7:30 pm in our regular meeting room at Northridge United Methodist Church
Sunday March 12: Daylight Savings Time Begins Set those clocks ahead one hour.
Thursday March 16: Board Meeting At Bernadette Friedman's Home
Friday March 17: St Patrick's Day Wear your green or you'll get pinched
Saturday March 25: Shop Day at Jeff Dengrove's Home
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General Meeting Thursday March 2, 2023 - 7:30 pm
TGMS – Not Your Typical Rock Show.
The Tucson Gem and Mineral Society knows how to put on a great show. This society was the first to bring together the hobby enthusiast, the curator/professionals and the general public for this annual four day event. After 68 years, it is the largest, oldest and most prestigious gem and mineral show in the world. This year the theme was “Silica, Agates & Opal & Quartz, Oh My!”
Located at the Tucson Convention Center, attendees will find approximately 250 dealers selling a variety of minerals, fossils, jewelry, and lapidary. Throughout the show there are lectures and symposiums. Jaw-dropping world class exhibits from private collections, major universities and museums are on display. Other exhibit cases, (both competitive and non-competitive) round out this mix.
This month Mary Pat Weber will provide us with a visual treat of the highlights of this recent event and why this show rocks!
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The Rockhound Dennis Miller Show
Dennis will fill us in on March's birthstone; Aquamarine, and will also provide Quartzsite report part 2. Dennis asks all members to bring in something for Show & Tell each month to share with our members and guests.
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West Hills 13th Annual Spring Fest
Saturday April 1, 2023 - 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Shadow Ranch Recreation Center 22633 Vanowen St., West Hills CA 91307
The Del Air Rockhounds have been invited to participate as a vendor in the 13th annual West Hills Spring Fest. This is a first time event for us. We will have two (2) 10 x 10 pop-ups. One will strictly be an educational booth with our kids games, touch and feel and our dino/ice age reproductions. The other will feature our boutique items, spin-a-wheel, grab bags, jewelry and other items for sale. Set-up for the booth will be at 8:30 am and the event runs from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. As always, we are seeking club members to volunteer their time to help run the booth. Please see Chris Ward, the Dearborns or Shellie Van Winkle
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The Ventura Club will be hosting their annual show on Saturday and Sunday, March 4 & 5, 2023. This is always a great show at a super great location, the Ventura County Fairgrounds, right on the beach!
As in the past, The Del Air Rockhounds will have our educational booth at the show for the entire weekend featuring our famous Volcano, Igneous and Sedimentary Rock displays with touch and feel rocks and educational games for kids and adults alike. Please find the time to attend this fun event and see what we do outside our regular monthly meetings. Looking forward to seeing you all there.
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“Pyrite Decay” is one of the biggest problems for mineral collectors. Minerals that are made of iron and sulfur can have this problem. The two most common minerals are pyrite and marcasite. For reasons that scientists have not been able to fully understand, the sulfur and iron in these minerals combine with oxygen and hydrogen. The sulfur reacts to become sulfuric acid and the stinky gas called hydrogen sulfide. “Hydrogen sulfide” smells like rotten eggs. If you have pyrite or marcasite in your collections and it is decaying, you will be able to smell the sulfur! Open a drawer with pyrite in it and sniff. When this chemical reaction happens, the pyrite and marcasite specimens will first turn dark and lose their shiny metallic luster. Over time you will begin to see yellow and white crusts form. The crusts will be crumbly and will rub off very easily. In the worst case, the specimen will actually fall apart! As the specimens deteriorate, the acids created will attack your specimen labels, too. The paper will turn brown and very brittle. Scientists don’t know how to stop or even control pyrite decay. There are two things that are known that can help you:
1. When one pyrite or marcasite specimen deteriorates, it can cause other specimens nearby to deteriorate, too. If you have a number of pyrite and marcasite pieces, keep them separated from one another. If you have a specimen that is beginning to deteriorate, remove it from the collection immediately.
2. Remember that one of the chemicals created by pyrite decay is the gas called hydrogen sulfide. Keep your specimens in a place where the fumes can’t build up. On an open shelf is a good option. In other words, good air circulation helps.
Many mineral collectors report that pyrite specimens that are more of a darker greenish color are much more likely to change and fall apart from pyrite disease. Avoiding adding pyrite specimens that are darker in color is smart. Bright, brassy, metallic pyrite crystals are much less likely to have pyrite disease. There are some pyrite specimens, like the great cubes and groups of cubes from Spain, that don’t seem to get pyrite disease. The bright, shiny, metallic pyrite specimens from Peru also seem to not break down with this disease.
Used with permission. Diamond Dan Publications. Mini-Miner Monthly, June 2022, via The Strata Data, 2/2023. Courtesy AFMS March 2023 Newsletter
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HOW TO CLEAN SILVER ARTICLES - YOU NEED:
1 - LITER WATER TO BOIL
1 - TABLESPOON BORAX POWDER (can be found in supermarket laundry aisle) If you can not find the borax you can use baking soda.
1 - TABLESPOON SALT
1 - PIECE OF ALUMINUM FOIL
DIRECTIONS:
Bring water to boil, pour into a glass bowl or container, add borax, salt and dissolve. Place aluminum foil in water. Place your silver article in water - it must touch the foil. Tarnish will be gone in 10 seconds or so. Heavy tarnish may take one or two times in the water. Heavy tarnish may look like it has not been cleaned. Remove from water and rub with a soft cloth and it should wipe off the tarnish.
NOTES:
What is silver tarnish? It is silver sulfide and comes from sulfur gasses in the air over time. Sterling silver contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. This copper makes the sterling silver tarnish faster than pure silver. Remember, every time you remove tarnish, you are also removing a bit of the silver. Silver plate items have a very thin layer of silver and can wear away over time. Another type of home made silver polish is cream of tartar or baking soda and water. Make into a paste and rub on the silver. Use an old toothbrush for grooves. Rinse clean and wipe dry. Commercial silver polishes may have a tarnish retardant in it? Check the label.
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Thursday February 2: General Meeting
7:30 pm in our regular meeting room at Northridge United Methodist Church
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Tuesday February 14: Valentine’s Day
Remember your loved ones on this day!
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Thursday February 16: Board Meeting
At the Dearborn’s Home
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Monday February 20: President’s Day
Happy Birthday George and Abe.
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February’s Special People: Happy Birthday to:
05: Ann Richardson; 11: Bob Knox; 16: Emmy Silverman; 25: Christine Schmidt
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General Meeting Program - Thursday February 2, 2023 - 7:30 pm
Tips & Tricks For Tumbling Stones - Presented by Jeff Dengrove
Come and join us as club vice president, Jeff Dengrove, gives us a PowerPoint presentation on the tips and tricks for tumbling stones. Learn the techniques necessary to get the best polish and shine on your tumbled stones. Plus…club secretary, Bob Dearborn will also be giving a short presentation on how to clean Silver the easy way. Hope to see you all there.
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The Rockhound Dennis Miller Show
Dennis will fill us in on February’s birthstone; Amethyst and will also provide Quartzsite & Refugio reports. He may have a new stepping stone to show off as well. Dennis asks all members to bring in something for Show & Tell each month to share with our members and guests.
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Sunday January 1: New Years Day Happy New Year to one and all.
Thursday January 5: General Meeting 7:30 pm in our regular meeting room at Northridge United Methodist Church
Monday January 16: Martin Luther King Jr. Day We should all have a dream!
Thursday January 19: Board Meeting At Shellie Van Winkle’s home.
Saturday January 28: Del Air Annual Whale Bone Trip See Article
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January’s Special People - Happy Birthday to:
05: Jeff Silverman 09: Jeff Dengrove 16: Kai Kalma, Junior Member
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General Meeting Thursday January 5, 2023 - 7:30 pm Magical Rainbow Obsidian of Davis Creek
VGMS member Terry Wilson will recount a fun CFMS trip to Davis Creek, where the group sampled all of the rainbow obsidian collecting locations currently allowed in this remote corner of California. She will also show you how to slab and cab this special type of obsidian to bring out the best of its optical properties. She will have a table display of rough, slabbed and cabbed material to show you in person what pictures alone cannot do. Terry is Program Chair of the Ventura County Gem & Mineral Society. Her main interest is slabbing and cabbing, and sometimes silversmithing to give her cabs a place to land.
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The Rockhound Dennis Miller Show
Dennis will fill us in on January’s birthstone; Garnet. Dennis asks all members to bring in something for Show & Tell each month to share with our members and guests.
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Del Air Rockhound’s Annual Whale Bone Field Trip
It’s that time of the year again. Time to get into your cars and travel about 100 miles down the 101 Ventura Freeway to the Refugio Beach exit in Santa Barbara. We’re hunting fossil whale bones, beach agates, the beautiful San Franciscan Shale and many other colorful rocks. Low tide begins just a few minutes after 10 am. Dress in layers and don’t forget to bring yourself a picnic lunch and beverages. There are no stores in the immediate vicinity of the beach. This is a hugely popular trip every year and we regularly enjoy a big turnout. Bring your rock hammer and a sturdy canvas bag or bucket to carry your found treasures. If you’ve never been before, our Field Trip Chair, Jeff Dengrove, will be there with samples of previously found whale bone to show you what to look for. There is a fee to park at California State Beaches, usually $10, but the parking pass can be used at as many State Beaches you wish to visit that same day and there are at least two more within a couple of miles in either direction from Refugio. Save the date! Hope to see you all there.
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WHITE BUFFALO TURQUOISE
As you all may know Maxine is very fond of Turquoise, among many other things! In our shopping here and there we see more and more of this White Buffalo Turquoise and thought you might like to know a little more about it. White Buffalo Turquoise is found in only one mine worldwide, the Dry Creek Mine in Nevada. The mine is located on the Shoshone Indian Reservation near Battle Mountain. It was discovered only recently, in 1993. It is said that its name comes from Native Americans in the area, who believe that the stone “is as rare as a white buffalo.” It is believed to form like “normal turquoise,” with the exception of the absence of copper (which makes the turquoise blue), iron (which makes it green), or zinc (which leads to yellow-green turquoise) Because of it rarity, it is also believed that white howlite is sometimes sold as white buffalo turquoise, perhaps by accident by the uniformed, or perhaps intentionally. We know at times we have questioned a piece of “White Buffalo Turquoise” for sale and the seller has said “ Sometimes this is called Howlite“. So be careful out there and look closely at your rocks. Submitted by: Bob Dearborn
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QUARTZSITE SHOW DATES 2023
Desert Gardens ShowGrounds - Jan 1 - Feb 28, 2023
Prospector’s Panorama - Jan - Feb 2023
Tyson Wells Rock & Gem Show - January 6 - 15, 2023
57th Annual QIA Pow Wow Gem & Mineral Show - Jan 18 -22, 2023
Tyson Wells Sell-A-Rama - Jan 20 -29, 2023
Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show - Jan 21 - 29, 2023
Tyson Wells Arts & Crafts Show - Feb 3-12, 2023
Gold, Treasure & Craft Show QIA - Feb 10 - 12, 2023
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Thursday December 1: Annual Holiday Party & Potluck 6:30 pm in our regular meeting room at Northridge United Methodist Church
Sunday December 11: Chatsworth Kiwanis Holiday Parade & Festival See article
Thursday December 15: Board Meeting At the Dearborn’s home
Sunday December 18: Hanukkah Begins It’s gonna be eight crazy nights!!
Sunday December 25: Christmas Day Santa is Coming!
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December General Meeting: Our Annual Holiday Party - Members Only
“It’s A Pearl Party Potluck”. We will be presenting a video, “Pearls - The Documentary” as well as a complimentary “Del Air Wish Pearl Kit” to all paid members where you can harvest your own pearl from an actual oyster and make a beautiful pendant. We have made up a total of 50 kits. We will also be holding elections for our 2023 Board of Directors. We hope to see you all there for our year end party and potluck.
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The Rockhound Dennis Miller Show
Dennis will fill us in on December’s birthstones; Tanzanite, Zircon and Turquoise. He will also bring in a new stepping stone he created. Dennis asks all members to bring in something for Show & Tell each month to share with our members and guests.
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News From the CFMS - www.cfmsinc.org
THERE WILL BE A 2023 SHOW!!
After speaking with several societies in their area and finding no takers, the Executive Committee reluctantly decided that CFMS needed to hold a no-host show for 2023. As all are aware we were unable to have our traditional show in 3 of the previous 5 years–in 2018 although a club in northern California graciously invited us to hold a Directors Meeting at their show, as a Federation we were not part of their show except for the Endowment Fund table. COVID prevented us from having a show hosted or otherwise in 2020 or 2021. You can plan to be in Lodi June 23-25, 2023. The show committee is hard at work finalizing all the various forms so these can be posted to the CFMS website as soon as possible. The event will be held at the Grape Festival and Harvest Fair in Lodi, CA. This is the same site of a successful no-host show in 2015. First Vice President/President elect Bob Rush will be Show Chairman with Jim Barton acting as his assistant Show Chair. Unlike a hosted show, a no-host show doesn’t have a pool of club members to handle all the tasks involved. We are asking those in the nearby area to let Bob or Jim know how you can help. Volunteers will be needed to help with set up, security, admissions, demonstrations, etc. Most importantly all the clubs will have the opportunity to meet members of the public who could possibly become your future members. Bob plans to put the tables promoting membership at the front of the dealers building so these are the first thing visitors see when they enter the building. Be watching the newsletter for details and information as it evolves. The basic framework for 2023 was begun in 2021 so the committee is basically picking up where it left off when we had to cancel last time due to the uncertainties surrounding the pandemic. Here’s to yet another successful no-host show!
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The Art of Being the Meaningful Historian By: Jennifer Haley, AFMS Historian - Oct 2022 AFMS Newsletter
As Historians, you have a meaningful job and are a great value to your organization. You are the keepers of all things memorable and significant. You are the storytellers of the past, for today, and the storytellers for the future generations of historians who will be thumbing through your files to celebrate the joys of the earth sciences, and the practice of lapidary arts and crafts. Think of your file boxes as gift boxes given to you, and the gift boxes you are creating to give to the future of our hobby someday. I thought this might be a good time to begin talking to you about the many ways you can take care of your society and federation historian files. Over the many years there have been society, federation and AFMS historians. Lots of boxes and even metal cabinets have been passed from one historian to another over generations of time. This accumulation of so much history can produce a sense of anxiety and a quandary of wondering how to manage not only the space to hold the material, but how to protect it and how to find what you are looking for. Some have asked if it’s even valuable enough to hold onto so much accumulated material. Especially for federations and the AFMS, transporting all the files from a retiring historian to someone new can pose a problem due to the vast traveling distances within their territory. There aren’t any hard-set rules of how to go about this, unless your society or federation states them. You or your society may have piles of file boxes that haven’t been looked at in ages. You might be wondering what condition they are in at this point and thinking, what on earth should be done with them. I am here to offer some good pointers and some creative ideas to help you out. There are so many treasures in those boxes when you are able to find them. Maybe not 100% that you might find personally interesting, but gems in the figurative sense and literally to inspire your members today. As historians, you are usually the backup for storing copies of your organization’s business meeting minutes and reports. You also have the special job of keeping copies of your organization’s newsletters, photos and news clippings of the year’s events and sometimes storing mementos. You are the person members will say at some time or another, “thank you so much for keeping the good memories and for remembering us.” There are different aspects of being a historian. There are various choices available to you about how you can take care of your files, along with ideas to make finding things in the future easier for you . Some organizations are digitizing their files, but if that’s not your cup of tea right now, that’s alright too. Stick with me over the next few months, and in between other historian articles for the AFMS, we’ll go through those boxes together.
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A Field Trip Teaser…Save the Date!
Our wildly popular annual Fossil Whale Bone field trip to Refugio Beach in Santa Barbara has found its date: Saturday January 28, 2023. Full details in the January bulletin.
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On Sunday December 11, 2022, the Del Air Rockhounds will once again have a booth at the Chatsworth Kiwanis Holiday Parade and Festival.. Set-up begins at 9:30 am and the event runs from 12:00 noon until 5:00 pm. Two of our core members, Shellie Van Winkle and Bernadette Friedman are out of town on this day and will not be able to work this event. So…even more than ever…we need club members to step-up and volunteer to help out at this event. We will have three 10 x 10 pop ups featuring the Spin-a-Wheel, grab bags, our jewelry, fossil and specimen boutique, touch and feel table, fossil reproductions, free educational game and more. Our booth will be on Canoga Ave just south of Devonshire St. in Chatsworth. Show your Del Air spirit and volunteer to help out. Please let Maxine Dearborn, Chris Ward or Bob Knox know of your intent to help out.
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Thursday November 3: General Meeting 7:30 pm in our regular meeting room at Northridge United Methodist Church
Sunday November 6: Daylight Savings Time Ends At least in California it does!
Tuesday November 8: Election Day Cast your vote or keep your mouth shut!
Friday November 11: Veteran’s Day Honor our War Vets!
Thursday November 17: Board Meeting At the Becker’s humble abode!
Thursday November 24: Thanksgiving Day Turkey and all the fixin’s!
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General Meeting: Thursday November 3, 2022 @ 7:30 pm:
The Geological Wonders of California’s Channel Islands
From volcanic sea caves to out-of-this-world sedimentary formations, the Channel Islands are a collection of geologically varied islands. Keri Dearborn will take us on a tour of the Channel Islands to see some of their unique geology, including San Nicolas Island which is a U.S. Navy Base and closed to the public.
The geology of the Channel Islands directly affects the plant and animal species that live there. This is called biogeology. We’ll look at the role geology has played in shaping the living species on the islands in the past and how it continues to do so today. We’ll look for fossils, archaeological sites, and evidence of islands on the move.
Join Keri for an evening discovering the geologic wonders of the Channel Islands.
Emmy Silverman - Program Chair
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The Rockhound Dennis Miller Show:
This month, Dennis will fill us in on November’s birthstones, Citrine & Topaz. He will also bring in some treasures he found at Jewell Tunnel. Dennis asks all members to bring in something for Show & Tell each month to share with our members and guests.
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News of Upcoming Club Shows:
November 6, 2022 – Lake Elsinore, CA
Lake Elsinore Gem & Mineral Society
32097 Corydon Road, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
Hours: 10 AM – 4 PM
Winter Festival Rock & Craft Show
Contact: Berylman50@aol.com
Find us on Facebook
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November 19-20, 2022 – Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz Mineral and Gem Society
Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange, 1900 17th Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Hours: Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM, Sunday 10 AM – 4 PM
Santa Cruz Holiday Sale – Rocks, Minerals, Gems, Fossils, Jewelry
Contact: (831) 459-0572, scruzmgs@gmail.com
Website: https://www.scrockngem.org
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February 18-19, 2023
Antioch Lapidary Club
Contra Costa County Fairgrounds, 1201 West 10th St. Antioch, CA 94509
Hours: 10 AM to 5 PM Saturday and Sunday
Jewelry, Gems, Findings, Supplies, Auction, Grab Bags, Exhibits and hands on projects for kids
Contact: (925) 301-6957, edysnyder@gmail.com
Website: http://www.antiochlapidaryclub.com
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February 25-26, 2023 – Vallejo, CA
Vallejo Gem and Mineral Society
Solano County Fairgrounds, McCormack Hall, 900 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo, CA 94589
Hours: 10 AM-5 PM
Gems, geodes, fossils, beads and minerals from around the globe. Discover lapidary and stone crafts from vendors and live demonstrations. Something for everyone! Silent auction, geode cuttings, and games of chance and discovery for kids!
Contact: (415) 254-1506, ddahonvgms@gmail.com
Website: http://vjgems.co/
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March 4-5, 2023 – Ventura, CA
Ventura Gem & Mineral Society
Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura, CA 93001
Hours: Saturday 10 AM-5 PM, Sunday 10 AM – 4 PM
50 exhibits of gems, minerals, fossils and lapidary arts; ongoing demos of lapidary and jewelry making; raffle prizes & silent auctions; a Second-Hand Treasures Store & plant sale; 15 dealers; children’s activities and free resources for teachers. A SoCal tradition for 6 decades and counting!
Contact: (805) 312-8467, info@vgms.org
Website: http://www.vgms.org
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Report on our Malibou Lake Event - Saturday, October 1, 2022
Yes, there is a Malibou Lake in the Santa Monica Mountains. And, it has been there for 100 years! Who knew? I didn’t but our club was invited to their centennial festival through the efforts of our member, Jon Meredith. Our booth consisted of two 10 x 10 canopies from 10 am to 6 pm and we talked to a constant flow of people. They were all interested in the free educational game, touch and feel area, spin-a-wheel with its goodies and many kinds of rock materials available for purchase as well as providing general information on the local rocks and fossils. Our members, Chris Ward and Maxine Dearborn gave a one hour PowerPoint talk on the history and geology of the Santa Monica Mountains and they had a very large audience. They also had a lot of questions about the subject because a lot of the people were from the surrounding local areas. Our club had a great time at this festival. It was a long day but we had a lot of help and the weather was just right. Members attending: Chris Ward, Bob Knox, Shellie Van Winkle, Bernadette Friedman, LaVere & Christine Schmidt, Jon Meredith, Jeff & Emmy Silverman and Bob & Maxine Dearborn. Bob Dearborn-Education Outreach
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Saturday October 1: Malibou Lake Centennial Event Tuesday October 4: Yom Kippur - Begins at sundown. Thursday October 6: General Meeting - 7:30 pm at Northridge United Methodist Church Thursday October 20: Board Meeting - 7:30 pm at TBD Saturday October 22: Granada Hills Street Faire Monday October 31: Halloween - Spooky Spooky Spooky
Thursday September 1: General Meeting -
7:30 pm in our regular meeting room at Northridge United Methodist Church
Saturday September 3: Grab Bag Fill Day - (See Article)
Monday September 5: Labor Day - Celebrate America’s Workforce.
Thursday September 15: Board Meeting - 7:30 pm at Shellie Van Winkle’s Home
Thursday September 22: First Day of Autumn - Hopefully the Heat Will End
Sunday September 25: Rosh Hashanah - Begins at Sundown
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September’s Special People
Happy Birthday: Happy Anniversary:
07 Lourdes Koch 05 Roger Hsu & Spouse
11 Vincent Santoro 12 Jeff & Emmy Silverman
14 Evelyn Brown
16 Coriolis Koch P/P
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General Meeting: Thursday September 1, 2022 @ 7:30 pm
“Other Than Pretty, What are Bloodstone and Fluorite?”
Presented by: Tina White
Tina White, an Earth Sciences instructor at various Los Angeles colleges and member of the Sierra Pelona Rock Club will share information on the what, how, why and where of these interesting and beautiful objects of interest to rockhounds and lapidaries everywhere. Come join us for her powerpoint presentation. A program not to be missed.
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Come join us for the Del Air Rockhound Club's 3 Estate Rock Sale spanning more than 50 years of collecting from around the country and the world. Saturday August 13, 2022 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm at 10037 Louise Ave., Northridge, CA 91325. Our 501(c)3 non profit educational organization will be selling piles of rough rock, windowed rock, slabs, crystals, agate, jasper, petrified wood, obsidian, fossil whale bone, serpentine, onyx, fossil turritella agate and more. Sold by the piece or the pound - cash or credit card accepted. We will also be selling jewelry, mineral & fossil specimens, crystals and good lapidary equipment such as saws, grinders, high end microscope and more. Bring you own crate and totes to carry your treasures home with you. We would like to thank you all for coming out and supporting our club. Your purchase helps us fund our many Education Outreach programs which we provide free of charge to local elementary schools throughout the area. Hope to see you all there!
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