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The Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. (VGMS)
Rockhound Rambling
July 1999.
Table of Contents.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.
Thank you for all the help Susan & I received during the VGMS Annual Breakfast held on June 27th. We had a good turnout and the food was excellent.
Some of our members attended the Annual CFMS Mineral Show in Turlock on June 18-20. It was a great show and I hope more of our members will attend next year's CFMS Show which will be held in Riverside, CA.
The Ventura County Fair is just around the corner. Don't forget to set up your exhibits in the Gem & Mineral Building, July 30-August 1 (Friday through Sunday). The doors will open at 10:00am on all three days. (See details about the County Fair within this bulletin.)
Classes for Ventura College will begin on August 16th. The Geology Department is offering three classes: "Physical Geology" (& lab), "Oceanography" and "Disasters & Geohazards". Also, the Geology Dept. is offering "Fundamentals of GIS" (geographic information systems) and "GIS software" to name a few. I would like to see our members attend some of these informative classes.
Our regular meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 28th. Red Jioras and I will be conducting an open forum. Our plan is to give all our club members the opportunity to express their views about any topic or activity sponsored by the VGMS. We want all members to participate in this event. Your input will be used to plan the future success of our club. Please plan on attending... We want to hear from you. (See details about this meeting within this bulletin.)
Please remember to enter all the important dates listed in this bulletin on your personal calendar. I look forward to our meeting on July 28th.
Steve Mulqueen,
President.
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FIELD TRIP REPORT,
July 10th To Jalama Beach.
A small group enjoyed near perfect conditions at Jalama Beach on Saturday. A variety of colorful minerals with a lot of travertine were collected. Sorry to say no whale bone was found (lots of look alike material was brought to me for identification). But Valli did find an arrow head.
I forgot what a beautiful beach it was. We had warm, clear conditions and the surfers were taking advantage of the 5 foot surf. Jalama burgers for lunch and a truck load of goodies, we headed for home. I think we'll go back up again this summer and take the kids.
We'll have samples of our "treasure" on display at the next meeting. No field trip has been planned for August due to the Ventura County Fair.
Greg Davis,
Field Trip Chairman.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS.
07-28-99 - VGMS General Meeting - American Legion Hall - 7:30 pm.
07-30 & 31-99 - Entry Dates for the Ventura County Fair - 10:00 am until 6:00 pm.
08-01-99 - Last Entry Date for the Ventura County Fair - 10:00 am until 5:00 pm.
08-04-99 - Opening Day of the Ventura County Fair.
08-05-99 - VGMS Board Meeting - VGMS Museum - 7:30 pm.
08-15-99 - Closing Day of the Ventura County Fair.
08-15 & 16-99 - Ventura County Fair Entry Pickup Dates.
08-21-99 - VGMS Workshop Open - 9:00 am until 12:00 pm.
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THE JULY PRESENTATION.
Well club members, here's your chance to help determine where you want your club to go and what you want your club to do. At the July meeting, your president, Steve Mulqueen, and Red Jioras will be conducting an open forum with all club members present. The forum will give all club members the opportunity to express their views about any topic or activity within VGMS. Examples of the kind of topics that can be discussed: work shops or classes that you would like to see presented; expansion and/or changes to the museum or lapidary shop; changes to field trips, club activities or programs. Any topic is fair game within the time constraints of the meeting.
This is an experimental way of allowing our members to decide the direction of the club. If it works, it might be something that will be done once or twice a year. The only way it will work is if ALL our club members try very hard to attend the July meeting and come prepared to contribute. If you would like additional information about the forum or you would like to propose a topic to be discussed before the membership, you can contact Red Jioras at 646-7184. If you would just like to bring a topic up at the meeting, that's OK too. Don't miss this opportunity to help move the club into the 21st century!
Contributed by
Red Jioras.
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MINUTES OF VGMS BOARD MEETING,
July 1, 1999.
The meeting was called to order at 7:32 pm by President Steve Mulqueen. President Mulqueen noted we did not have a quorum but we would go ahead and conduct business and be subject to approval at the next regular board meeting.
President's Report: President Mulqueen reported that 16 members attended the annual breakfast on Sunday, June 27, 1999. There was $32.00 in expenses and $32.00 in donations.
Also noted someone has cut the chain link fence behind the museum and tried to pry open a door.
Federation Director's Report: Florence said the California State Mining and Mineral Museum in Mariposa may be closing its doors due to lack of funding. There was a discussion on field trip insurance, shop insurance and safety.
Treasurer's Report: Richard Bromser submitted the financial report for the month of June and requested approval of checks #583 through #589. A motion was made to approve the bills as submitted.
Board Action: A motion was made to reimburse Bret Breton $5.00 for coffee supplied at the June 23rd regular meeting.
Eleanor Rising requested to be taken off the Sunshine Committee. Eleanor said she would accept the Hostess Chairperson on a temporary basis. Eleanor also said the American Legion will no longer be providing coffee for our regular meetings. She requested $20.00 a month, as needed, for refreshments at our regular meetings and that she would give the money collected, each meeting. to the treasurer.
A motion was made to give Eleanor $20.00 a month, as needed, for refreshments at our regular meetings.
There being no further business, President Mulqueen adjourned the meeting at 8:40 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Richard Bromser,
Secretary Pro Tem.
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PLEASE ADD THE FOLLOWING
NEW MEMBERS TO YOUR
MEMBERS DIRECTORY.
Albert Rubo,
653 W. Guava St.,
Oxnard, CA 93033-3432.
Sunny Cross,
352 Franklin Ln.,
Ventura, CA. 93001,
(805)643-2822.
Alice McPherson,
412 W. Sola St.,
Santa Barbara, CA. 93101,
(805)966-5312.
Please introduce yourselves and make them feel welcome!
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VENTURA COUNTY FAIR.
This is the last opportunity to remind you of the Fair, August 4th - 15th. Exhibit entries for Gem & Minerals is July 30, 31 and August 1; for Hobbies, July 23, 24 and 25.
I want to see more representation from this club in displays and volunteer hours. Sign up for your volunteer hours when you bring in your exhibit or contact Lois Allmen, 483-6871. Lois is handling the volunteers.
Monday and Tuesday after the Fair I need as many people as possible to help dismantle the set-up and prepare everything for storage. Tear-down is a tremendous amount of work as we do in two days what it takes two and a half weeks to set-up.
I appreciate all of your interest and help and thank you for making this department one of the best.
Ray Meisenheimer.
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COMMUNITY EDUCATION.
Wednesday June 23rd, Ray Meisenheimer gave the program to the Leisure Village Gem & Mineral Society in Camarillo. 20 to 25 members and guests were in attendance, and seemed to really enjoy the program.
Contributed by
Florence Meisenheimer.
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CFMS CONVENTION.
The Convention meeting of the Board of Directors was called to order at the Fairgrounds in Turlock June 19, 1999. There was a quorum with 97 Directors and most chairmen and committee persons present.
CFMS approved making book markers with CFMS web site information. Renata Bever will print book markers to send to each CFMS club prior to their show to be given out to the public advertising the CFMS web site.
Victor Valley Gem & Mineral Society is delinquent in payment of dues and Rancho Bernardo Gem & Mineral Society has disbanded. CFMS now has 149 clubs with 11,462 members. Due to the fact that many members belong to 2 or 3 clubs they are counted several times.
CFMS is operating well over the red mark with $11,590.00 revenue over expenses. However $16,000.00 in Endowment Fund Interest was withdrawn to pay the very large increase in insurance dues. As of now the Endowment Fund is $143,236.62.
Most of the meeting was taken up discussing insurance. Coverage is about the same as we were told previous to the meeting.
For field trips an insurance company needs advance notice, how many attending, the destination, how many miles. The charge depends on attendance.
For shows or other public activities there is no charge. The insurance company needs prior notice, and will provide a certificate stating the facility (in our case the Fairgrounds) is covered.
The insurance representative suggested that all members or guests going on a field trip sign a "Hold Harmless" form to make them aware of possible danger, although the form probably would not be binding in a lawsuit.
Federation Directors attending a Directors meeting are not covered--period. If we want insurance coverage we must buy a separate policy.
New Shows:
2000 - Riverside Convention Center late in August,
2001 - Paso Robles Fairgrounds in June,
2002 - Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas probably in August,
2003 - AFMS & CFMS combined show - Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas.
Field Trip Chairman South, Stephen Blacksage reports that the Stone Canyon collecting site is now, or soon will be, open after being closed for about 20 years. He hopes to lead a trip there in the fall.
Florence Meisenheimer,
Federation Director.
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1999 AFMS / CFMS SHOWS
AND EVENTS.
JULY 31-AUGUST 1 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - San Francisco Gem & Mineral Society, San Francisco County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park, 9th & Lincoln Way, Hours: Sat. 10-6; Sun. 10-5, Ellen Nott (415)564-4230.
SEPTEMBER 3-6 - FORT BRAGG, CA - Mendocino Coast Gem & Mineral Society, Town Hall Main & Laurel, Hours: Fri., Sat., Sun. 10-6; Mon. 10-4, Don & Karen McDonell (707)964-3116, 643 McPherson St., Fort Bragg, CA 95437.
SEPTEMBER 18-19 - PASO ROBLES, CA - Santa Lucia Rockhounds, Pioneer Park Museum, 2010 Riverside Ave., Hours: Sat. 10-6; Sun. 10-5, Harry Kuffel (805)467-3457.
SEPTEMBER 25 - LOS ALTOS - Peninsula Gem & Geology Society, Los Altos Rancho Shopping Center, Foothill Expressway & So. Springer Rd., Hours: 9:30am to 4:45pm, Frank Dina (650)967-3424.
SEPTEMBER 25-26 - DOWNEY, CA - The Delvers Gem & Mineral Society, Woman's Club of Downey, 9813 Paramount Blvd., Hours: Sat 10-5; Sun. 10-4, Manfred Dexling (562)425-0192.
OCTOBER 2-3 - NAPA, CA - Napa Valley Rock & Gem Club, Pioneer Park & Museum, 2010 Riverside Ave., Hours: 10-5 both days, Gaylord Jerde (707)552-2324.
OCTOBER 9-10 - LANCASTER, CA - Valley Gems, 9050 1/2 West Ave. J, Hours: Sat. 9-5; Sun 9-4, Connie Wilhelm (661)942-1570.
OCTOBER 9-10 - PLACERVILLE, CA - El Dorado County Mineral & Gem Society, El Dorado County Fairgrounds, 150 Placervllle Drive, Hours: 10-5 both days, Merryan O'Neill (530)622-4229.
OCTOBER 9-10 - TRONA, CA - Searles Lake Gem & Mineral, 13337 Main St., Hours: Sat 8-5; Sun. 8-4, Bonnie Fairchild (760)372-5356.
OCTOBER 16-17 - WHITTIER, CA - Whittier Gem & Mineral Society, Masonic Temple, 7604 Greenleaf Ave., Hours: Sat. 10-6; Sun. 10-5, Jay Valle (626)336-3714.
OCTOBER 23-24 - EL CAJON, CA - El Cajon Valley Gem & Mineral Society, El Cajon Masonic Temple, 695 Ballantyne St., Hours: Sat. 10-6; Sun. 10-5, Dick McWhorter (619)447-0088.
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AFMS SHOWS 1999.
EASTERN FEDERATION - AUGUST 7-8 - NEW CARROLTON, MD - Ramada Hotel Ballroom, Russ Shew (301)493-8936.
SOUTH CENTRAL FEDERATION - AUGUST 21-22 - BOSSIER, LA - Bossier City Civic Center, Gene Powell, 903 Lazywood, Shreveport. LA. 71108, Ark-La-Tex Gem & Mineral Society.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FEDERATION - NOVEMBER 12, 13 & 14 - TUCSON, AZ - Tucson Convention Center, Jason Penn, 452 South Stratford, Old Pueblo Lapidary Club, E-mail: Ekmtuc@azstarnet.com.
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AUGUST BIRTHDAYS.
To all our friends born in August we wish you a Happy Birthday!
- 08-02 Floy Meyers,
- 08-07 Bret Breton,
- 08-08 Jacque Federman,
- 08-14 Marie Haake,
- 08-15 Bruno Benson,
- 08-25 Shirley Bromser,
- 08-30 Jeff Heath.
Your August Birthstone is Peridot, and your flower is Gladiolus.
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WORDS TO LIVE BY.
It's too bad spring fever and spring cleaning come at the same time.
Talk slowly but think quickly.
The dog is loved by old and young;
he wags his tail and not his tongue.
An illusion--that there'll be more time tomorrow.
Contributed by Wayne Ehlers.
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REPORT OF THE MUSEUM COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, JUNE, 1999.
The California State Museum of Mining and Minerals in Mariposa, as of this writing, is scheduled to close it's doors on June 30, 1999. Consequently, all of the CFMS specimens that were displayed there have been picked up and will be in my possession for the present. All of these items are on display at this show. If in the future, the State Museum decides to open it's doors again either at the present site or a different location, a new contract will be negotiated. The exhibits that are displayed at Clark County Historical Museum in Henderson, Nevada, the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, the San Diego County Natural History Museum and at the Jurupa Mountains Cultural Center will remain in place. Normally items that are displayed in museums are not available for society shows.
Items available for club shows are a magnificent aquamarine beryl crystal; a collection of Brazilian amethyst; 3 large intarsia portraits of historical figures; a collection of 5 crystalline gold replicas from a Colorado mine; a case of various forms of jewelry and art work by Federation artists; an intarsia of the Golden Bear over the States of California and Nevada and a fossilized stem section of a giant club moss from an eastern coal swamp. All of the items have been hand carried to the shows. A complete list of CFMS specimens will be sent to interested show chairmen.
Since my last report, we have acquired a new item that will be displayed in the case of CFMS Artists. It is a channel work miner pin created by Gloria Dunkle from the San Diego Mineral & Gem Society.
The transportation problem for the traveling museum still exists and, at present, it looks like these hands on exhibits will be designed for crating and being shown indoors. The target date for at least partial completion is the CFMS Show in Riverside in the year 2K. This is the city where this educational museum concept began. Exhibits in the construction phase are radio active minerals, phenomonon gem stones, a polarization display and rocks formed from igneous activity. A hands on device for showing the refractions of faceted stones, created by the GIA is ready to go. Exhibits in the planning stages are what is Fluorescence?, crystal form, earthquake faults and the process of fossilization.
Richard M. Knox.
Table of Contents.
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