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The Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. (VGMS)
Information Center.
VGMS CONTACTS.
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NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS.
WANTED: Good Country Store items.
The show will be here before we know it and our country store stock is kind of low. With the holidays coming and all those wonderful presents, you will need to clean out some things to make room for them! The country store is a great place to take them and a good cause. It is one of our club's largest money makers at the show. Our country store has a great reputation for the great variety of good items. People are always amazed when we tell them that they are all donated by our members or their friends and families. We have to live up to our reputation!
We can use books (hard and paperback), hobby related magazines and all other garage sale type items that you would like to get rid of within a reasonable size! One person's junk is another person's treasure! No clothes, unless they are new or barely used & no Christmas decorations. It just doesn't seem to be the right season for Christmas, even though we have had some really nice things. If you aren't sure about an item, give me a call.
You can bring them to the museum on workshop days. We have a rodent problem, so they need to be enclosed in a box if possible. We can also take them at the fair grounds on Thurs. and Fri., the weekend of the show. If you need help transporting, please give me a call at 805-717-9226 and we will make arrangements. Thanks to all of you and hope you have a wonderful Christmas and Holiday.
Shirley Layton,
Country Store Chairperson.
2013 VGMS SHOW PREPARATIONS.
Still Seeking Donations for Grab Bags & Kids Booth Prizes.
We're making great progress with the Kids' Booth for our 2013 club show! Here's where we stand:
Grab Bags: Just two items needed: tumble-polished stones (bunches and bunches are needed, both for grab bags and spinning wheel prizes) and 80 small quartz crystal points. If we can gather the last of these materials in the coming month, Nancy and I will host a grab-bag stuffing party in December or January - watch your email for a date and time announcement.
Kids' Booth Prizes: We need to put forth a full-court press to inventory what we've got and compile more. As I've assembled grab bag supplies, I've been sorting out bigger specimens and have started boxing them at home, but we need to designate a staging and storage area at the clubhouse.
We're off to an excellent start, and if you can help further, I encourage you to contact me or to bring donations of specimens to club meetings. My sincere thanks to all who have been helping!
-Jim Brace-Thompson,
Show Publicity & Exhibitors Chair (& Kids Booth elf).
COMMUNITY OUTREACH.
The California State Mining and Mineral Museum
A link to an article about a robbery at The California State Mining and Mineral Museum. - http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0930-mining-museum-20120930,0,7834403.story?track=rss.
We just had an article about the poor financial condition of the Museum. Now they will need our help even more if they are to remain open.
Postcard Image of the Museum.
We need your help to spread the word! If you would like more information or have questions, please feel free to contact me: Darci Moore, Curator II, California State Mining and Mineral Museum, (209) 742-7625, dmoor@parks.ca.gov.
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What's Bugging You?
Find Out at the California Oil Museum!
As noted in September, the California Oil Museum in Santa Paula is hosting a special exhibit entitled "Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!" It opened October 20 and runs through February 24. Susan Mulqueen brought together herself, David Mautz, and me to assemble fossil insects from our personal collections as one part of the exhibit, and we've filled 6 slant-front cases, graciously loaned by VGMS. These include everything from local California fossils (Ice Age beetles from the tar seeps of McKittrick and silicified bugs from Mule Canyon nodules), to insect impressions in Jurassic shale from China, Cretaceous insects of Brazil, bugs in Baltic and Dominican amber, Green River insects, and a locust from the Solnhofen limestone of Germany. You'll see fossils of insect relatives (shrimp, trilobites, horseshoe crabs, eurypterids), as well as a small display of insect trace fossils with carbonized leaves and petrified wood bearing insect munch marks and fossil cocoons and bees nests. The opening day of the exhibit also featured live bugs, who must have been wondering why those in our display cases don't chirp no more. We encourage you to hop into your buggy and check it all out!
-Jim Brace-Thompson,
Museum Chair/Education Outreach.
VGMS Members Help at OGMS Show.
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Many thanks to all VGMS members who helped make the 43rd Annual OGMS Show a success over the November 17 weekend. Many members appeared to shop among the dealers, bid in the silent auction, and take in the displays. Other members participated with exhibits, including Frank Boulch, Roy Boulch, Jim & Nancy Brace-Thompson, John & Diane Cook, Lowell Foster, Rob Sankovich, Jeff Miller, Kathryn Davis, Miriam Tetreault, Marie Haake, Nancy Bogart, and Ron & Jean Wise. Rob also helped by serving as a demonstrator for angle grinding, and Steve Mulqueen served as their "official" photographer. Other members helped man various stations, including the Silent Auction, Kids' Booth, etc. Thank you all for being an ambassador to help our fellow gem and mineral societies!
-Jim Brace-Thompson,
Museum Chair/Education Outreach.
PROGRAM REVIEW AND SCHEDULE.
OCTOBER Program.
Diane Cook presented a great program on "Spencer Opals". Spencer, Idaho (pop. 37) is the "Opal Capital of America". Opal is in the quartz group, has a hardness of 5 1/2 to 6/1/2 and is considered fragile. The Spencer Opal is only mined 3 months of the year and has many variations and colors. The colors range from precious white pink, yellow, blue, and pink which is very rare as well as the common pure white. The mine was originally discovered in 1948 by 2 deer hunters and was purchased by the Stetler family in 1964 and they still own it. Spencer Opal mine is America's oldest & largest opal claim (approx. 40 acres). Unfortunately it is no longer open to Rock Hounds but you can still purchase the Spencer Opal at local shows.
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NOVEMBER Program.
The Silent Auction was a great success and the club made over $400! Thanks to all those who participated!
Future Programs.
DECEMBER Program.
The program is replaced by our annual "Holiday Event" on Wednesday, December 12th at 7:00 pm. Everyone should bring their favorite holiday potluck dish to share and bring your own plates & utensils. This party is a special time for members to get together and share a meal and holiday cheer. There will also be a gift exchange; see page 1 in the President's Message for details.
JANUARY 2013 Program.
This month's program will be a "Show and Tell" for all members to bring and share with the club their fossils, minerals, gems and all other finds from the past year, whether it's from Quartzsite, other Rock Shops, or from your Rock Hounding adventures.
The January program will also have a brief overview of our upcoming 2013 show in early March.
Deb Sankovich,
VGMS Programs Chair.
MEMBERSHIP.
The November pumpkin feast was DELICIOUS! I am still recovering from all those goodies. Speaking of goodies, it is time to rejoin VGMS for 2013!
Our president, Rob Sankovich, was the first to sign up for 2013 setting the proper precedent. (A little play on words?) So far 27 members have followed Rob and rejoined VGMS for 2013.
The 2013 VGMS membership form is included on the last page of this newsletter. Please complete the form with your latest information with special consideration for your interests. I plan on updating our club member's interest sheet based on the information provided so we can share interests be they minerals, fossils, lapidary, jewelry making, education, etc.
2013 is shaping up to be an exciting year with both the VGMS and CFMS shows. It will be a good time to be a member of this AWARD WINNING club. Please bring your payment to the December meeting or mail your membership payment to:
Ventura Gem and Mineral Society,
PO Box 1573,
Ventura, CA 93002.
2013 membership is due before January 1, 2013.
Richard Slyker,
VGMS Membership Chair,
334 Wesleyan Ave.,
Ventura CA 93003,
vgmsmembership@gmail.com.
CHIPS & BOULDERS.
Got something to sell, trade or barter for? Send your brief articles to the editor by the 10th of the month at VGMSeditor@gmail.com. Payment in moonstone, labradorite, Larimar or dark chocolate (70+ % please) is gleefully accepted! ~AB.
WORK WANTED:
Metal Fabricator/Welder. Recently out of work, resume ready. Extensive experience in metal fabrication for aerospace, commercial food, and structural steel. Please contact Luther Brown at ravenwolf2@att.net.
WANTED:
New member looking for a used but working large tumbler. Please contact Art Balchban at (805) 646-5060.
WANTED:
Used, working lapidary equipment; saws, polishers, etc. Please contact Dick Cox at (805) 642-3579.
WANTED - Leftover Landscaping Materials:
Paving stones of any kind, corrugated tin, edgers, pea gravel, etc., to complete our clubhouse backyard landscaping project so it's safe for kids, and looks nice, too. Bring to the clubhouse on workshop days, to meetings, or contact: Diane Cook at johndianedaisy@yahoo.com, to make arrangements.
HELP WANTED - Sewing Grab Bags for Kids' Booth.
Need fabric bags used to fill with rock, mineral & fossil samples for the Kids' Booth at our show in
March. For instructions and information, please contact Jim at jbraceth@roadrunner.com.
WANTED:
Five Gallon buckets with lids for materials storage. Bring to meetings or workshop days.
HELP WANTED - PLANT SALE COORDINATOR.
Easy show position. Susan Mulqueen can help you get started. Organize, price, and sell plants and cuttings at the March 2013 Show. Prep. Thur. and Fri. before the show. Sell on Sat. and Sunday. Contact Susan at mulques@roadrunner.com.
HELP WANTED - COORDINATOR FOR DISPLAY.
Great position for a new member. Trainee needed to work with Steve Mulqueen coordinating the yearly display at the California Oil Museum in Santa Paula. Contact Steve at mulques@roadrunner.com.
CLUB INFORMATION.
Membership Dues.
Single - $20.00,
Couples (one bulletin) $30.00,
18 yrs. and younger with parent - No Charge,
Students /18 yrs. plus (12 units) - $17.00,
12 and Under considered "Pebble Pups" - No Charge.
Regular Meetings.
Fourth Wednesday of the month (except November and December - 2nd Wednesday), 7:30 pm at The Senior Recreation Center, 420 East Santa Clara Street, Ventura, CA. Anyone is welcome to attend. The December meeting is normally the Christmas party and is held at a local restaurant or a member's home.
Board Meetings.
First Thursday of the month, 7:30 pm (Note the change in time.) at the California Oil Museum, 1001 East Main Street, Santa Paula, CA. Exit Highway 126 at 10th Street and turn left at the end of the ramp. All members are welcome. NOTE: The meeting location could change any time. Be aware! For instance March meetings are normally held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. That's because it's Show Time.
Workshops.
Third Saturday of each month from 9-Noon at the Museum/Workshop Site, 11969 Creek Road, Ojai, CA. It's across the street from Camp Comfort. (See directions below.)
Directions to the Museum/Workshop Site:
Travel north on Highway 33 for about 4 miles past our old facility and turn right onto Creek Road. Another 4 miles on Creek Road and you come upon Camp Comfort. Our facility is a group of structures on the left (across from the camp) with a large parking area.
Caution:
The speed of traffic past the clubhouse on Creek Road exceeds the limit for the area. We prefer and advise people to enter and exit the driveway at the point farthest from the clubhouse so it allows the drivers maximum view of approaching traffic as you move onto Creek Road. Your safety is of utmost importance.
Greg Davis.
Annual Show.
The Club's annual show, "The Ventura Gem Show.", is held the first full weekend in March at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. See our Show Page.
Field Trips.
Announced monthly on the Field Trip Page and at the Regular Meetings.
Educational Cases.
The Museum's educational cases are available on loan to schools, etc. Contact the Museum Committee.
The VGMS Colors are Blue and Gold.
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| President: | Rob Sankovich, | 805-494-7734, rmsorca@adelphia.net. |
| 1st Vice President (Programs): |
Deb Sankovich, | 805-494-7734, sankovichdeb@yahoo.com. |
| 2nd Vice Presidents (Field Trips): |
Dave Mautz, Luther Brown, |
805-794-1809; 805-649-9657, ravenwolf2@att.net. |
| 3rd Vice President (Show): |
Krishna Juarez, | 805-323-6725, vgmsshowchair@gmail.com. |
| Treasurers: | Diane Cook, Nancy Brace-Thompson, |
805-647-8517, treasurer@vgms.org; 805-659-3577, treasurer@vgms.org; |
| Recording Secretary: | Greg Davis, | 805-647-9214, greg.davis@ventura.org. |
| Membership Secretary: | Richard Slyker, | 805-644-2749, vgmsmembership@gmail.com. |
| Federation Director: | Kathryn Davis, | 805-647-3096, kathrynsgems@ventura.org. |
| Bulletin Editor: | Angela Brown, | 805-649-9657, vgmseditor@gmail.com. |
| Parlimentarian: | Jim Brace-Thompson, | 805-659-3577, jbraceth@roadrunner.com. |
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| Hostess (Refreshments): | Shirley Layton, | 805-717-9226, sal@iwvc.org. |
| Ways and Means: | Nancy Brace-Thompson, | 805-659-3577, nbraceth@roadrunner.com. |
| Hospitality: | Diane Cook, | 805-647-8517, johndianedaisy@yahoo.com. |
| Museum/Librarian: | Jim Brace-Thompson, | 805-659-3577, jbraceth@roadrunner.com. |
| Historian: | Lowell Foster, | 805-648-1942, lowellfos@yahoo.com. |
| Web Site: | Jim Layton, | 805-717-9226, jal@vgms.org. |
Learn How to Contact
The VGMS
by going to the VGMS contact us page.
Webmaster: James A. Layton,
Last Updated: 02-09-2013,
URL of this Page: http://www.vgms.org/vgmsinfo.shtm.
GOD BLESS AMERICA.
Remember
September 11, 2001,
but support
our troops
NOW ! !
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