Collectors flock to the Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show
The Kawartha Rock and Fossil Club held its 29th annual Peterborough Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show on Saturday and Sunday at the Healthy Planet Arena on Monaghan Road.
The purpose of the show is to promote a greater appreciation of Canada’s natural resources and to promote the hobby of rock collecting and the lapidary arts, according to Mark Stanley, show chair.
“We have 24 dealers from across Ontario and Quebec who will be selling minerals, fossils, rocks, crystals, meteorites, gemstones, equipment, books, faceted stones, gemstone jewelry, beads and much more,” said Stanley at the event.
Karen Fox, a professional gemologist, provided complimentary gem identification.
Club members were available to identify any minerals and fossils that the public would like to bring in for identification.
A large display area was featured with mineral displays from members of the Kawartha club and prominent Ontario collectors, along with the Kawartha club’s Annual Best Collected Specimen Competition.
To involve children in the hobby of rock collecting, the popular sand box mine was a free activity where kids could dig for rocks, minerals and fossils that they could keep. Throughout the collecting season, club members set aside hundreds of kilograms of rock samples that were used to “salt the mine” throughout the weekend.
“It is our hope that by getting rocks and minerals into the hands of children that we will spark an interest in the world around us," said Stanley.
Club members were on hand to help identify the treasures.
“In past years we’ve had 5,000 visitors to the show, which helps to fulfill our mission to cultivate an appreciation for our natural resources and to share the scientific knowledge behind the minerals,” he said.