Smoke Signals – May 2016 Newsletter

Apache Junction Rock & Gem ClubNext Meeting: September 8, 2016

OfficersPresident Chuck Larson 480-983-2672 chuckinaj@gmail.comVice President Ken Perkins 480-343-5617 lperkins18@cox.netSecretary Ruth Flynn 480-694-9163 reflynn@cox.netTreasurer Linn Mistrot 480-606-8863 jorlinn@aol.comTrustee Tom Sundling 402-432-9790 ajroct@gmail.comTrustee Con Higley 480-205-9276 cchigley@gmail.comTrustee Phil Gadd 503-705-3933 mmpdg16@msn.com

AJR&GC is a member of the following mineralogical societies:

• American Federation of Mineralogical Societies• Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies

Table of ContentsMinutes of the May 2016 Meeting..................................................................................................2Volunteering and YOU.....................................................................................................................3Four Peaks Elementary School Presentation...................................................................................5New Business: Jewelry and More...................................................................................................6A Note from Your Newsletter Editor...............................................................................................7

Smoke Signals – May 2016 Newsletter

Minutes of the May 2016 MeetingBy Ruth Flynn

Chuck Larson, President Called meeting to order at 6:30 Pledge of Allegiance Introduced Board of Directors Welcomed new members and guests Announced Estate Sale to be held Saturday, 5/21/16 – 912 S Ocotillo Drive, Apache

Junction 8:00 AM till noon Reminder that, because the club has grown so large and there are so many jobs to do,

all members are now expected to volunteer 10 hours per year. These hours can be donated at the club or at a club event. A list of volunteer opportunities is available at the shop and is also posted on the website

Announced 50/50, Door Prizes and Silent AuctionKen Perkins, Vice President Has ordered shirts, hoodies and hats, including shirts for kids. All items should be

received at the club within a monthRuth Flynn, Secretary Minutes accepted for last meeting Sent out one sympathy card and one get well card Nicole Fry (Scholarship Chair) was not able to attend the meeting – her report on the

scholarships for AJHS and Skyline HS will be in the newsletterLinn Mistrot, Treasurer Gave financial report – any questions, please contact Linn

Connie Smith, Membership Club now has 347 members, including 12 junior members

Karen Moschinger, Class Coordinator Listed upcoming classes

Ed Lindsey, Fields Trips and Youth Program Six club members – Ed Lindsey, Wanda Sisk, Glenn and Chris Schuler, Nancy Suthann and

Chuck Larson – gave a presentation at Four Peaks Elementary on 5/11/16. They had a great time and the kids loved it. Wanda did an explanation of Igneous, Sedimentary andMetamorphic rocks to start the show and then the kids were able to wander around looking at all the rocks and fossils the five members brought to show

There will be a field trip to the Payson area on 6/11/16 to look for fossils – junior members are heartily invited to attend. Ed and Dan Jarvis provided some samples they have collected from the area. Thanks to Dan for all his help in scouting out locations

Terry Smith, Shop Manager Thanks to all the monitors for all their hard work Introduced two new monitors – Dustin Ingram and Karen Stanfill – thank you both for

stepping up!

Smoke Signals – May 2016 Newsletter

As always, need more monitors. This is the best time to train while the shop is slow for the summer

Brian Fermoyle, member Thanked all the monitors who have helped with cutting show rock. It’s a big job and

takes a lot of helping handsDrawings were held for 50/50 and Door PrizesChuck Larson, President Introduced Speaker for the evening – Manny Martinez

Manny gave a fascinating talk that touched on many areas of rock hounding. He gave a short summary of his education and talked about how he got into working with turquoise many yearsago, then briefly touched on mining laws and the treasure trove law in Arizona. This segued into a discussion of places to metal detect and of places to go rock hunting, including Silver City,New Mexico; Castle Dome, Morenci and Bisbee for turquoise and Slaughter Mountain for fire agate.Manny also brought with him two tables of various grades of turquoise and discussed how turquoise is stabilized.Meeting closed at 7:45

Volunteering and YOUBy Linn Mistrot

The Apache Junction Rock and Gem Club has always felt it important that members get their money’s worth for their membership dues. So what do you get as a member? Among other things you get….

• Access to a large number of saws and grinding machines• Free classes in a wide range of subjects• Interesting speakers at meetings• Opportunities to go on a large number of field trips each year and find new rocks• Free entry to the club shows (that is $6 cash value right there)• Parties• Chance to socialize with a great group of people and to learn more about our chosen

hobby

Why do we mention this? Because it takes effort and involvement to make all these things happen. They don’t just happen out of thin air. Right now we have well over 300 members but only a very few of them are involved in making this club run. There are several individuals who do 5 jobs. What happens if they get sick? Stuff doesn’t happen. Your fun stops. With 3 shows a year, the shop being open 6 days a week (and several evenings), multiple field trips monthly, several classes a month - WE NEED HELP! And that doesn’t even include plain old maintenance and cleaning to help keep things running.

Smoke Signals – May 2016 Newsletter

You may have noticed some changes in the verbage on the applications and on our website. We ‘request’ every member volunteer 10 hours a year. We are not ‘requiring’ it. Some clubs do require a certain number of volunteer hours to be a member of that club. We’re resisting that idea – for now. We hope that the membership will realize how important each and every one of you is. You have skills to offer and your club needs them. If nothing else, think of yourself. If we don’t get help classes will stop, field trips cut back, shop hours cut back or showsstop and the club will close and you lose. So be selfish and do this for yourself. Volunteer!

Most of you have probably done volunteer work at some time in the past. You’ve learned that you get a lot more than you give. So we want to bring to your attention a list of volunteer opportunities. Some are sedentary, some are active. Some require training, some are mindless. There is something for everyone and we hope you will take a look – and then take action. The complete list is posted in the shop and on our website with descriptions. A few of the opportunities are listed below.

• Field trip leader• Provide snacks for General Meetings or Shows• Monitor• Clean shop or yard• Teach a class• Electrician• Work parties• Newsletter• Shop clerk• Assist Treasurer• Youth group• Coordinate Christmas Party• Work on floats• Find speakers for meetings • Run raffle at meetings• Plumber• Show opportunities: sign up for these only a month or so before the show. You can

stamp hands, watch a door, help set up, help at a raffle, etc. The sign up sheets are available before the show.

See how easy it is to help? And there are so many other areas where your help is needed. Please consider how you can help and step up. Don’t wait for someone to come begging. It is YOUR club.

Smoke Signals – May 2016 Newsletter

Four Peaks Elementary School Presentationby Ed Lindsey

As my one-year milestone approached as Youth Coordinator it was especially gratifying to be invited back to Four Peaks Elementary School for the second year in a row. Shannon Miller, Inviter/contact and second grade teacher requested that the AJR&G Club do a repeat of the 2015 presentation with a new group of second graders.

Following the same format as last year, our visit started with 120 students sitting on the cafeteria floor listening to Wanda Sisk present an expanded content presentation on the three classifications of rock. Not only did Wanda do a fabulous job presenting the concepts and principles involved, she incorporated visual aids designed to help young amateur geologists understand the forces involved in rock creation. A short verbal quiz following the presentation was easily mastered by her audience. Good going Wanda and the second graders at Four PeaksElementary School A big “Thanks!” goes to Chris Schuler who jumped right in to assist and facilitate when Wanda needed 3-4 hands.

The second half of our presentation involved the children viewing member rock/mineral specimens, asking questions about the samples and rocks in general. Despite having been involved in last year’s presentation I was still amazed at the level of involvement, perceptive questions and excellent manners demonstrated by each and every student.Nancy Suthnan’s collection started the tour of tables and her dinosaur poo is always a crowd favorite. It is amazing and entertaining the number of kids who have to smell, then lick and the number of kids who want absolutely nothing to do with such a disgusting object. Chuck Larson’s table was a new hit as it contained a Mastodon Tusk, Native Copper, and Mammoth Tusk, as well as other goodies not normally seen. Susan Colby and I participated in the April 22nd Science Night at Taylor Junior High, so I had 25+ rocks and minerals ready to go for our Four Peaks Elementary presentation. Glen and Chris did not show rocks this year, instead they were everywhere an extra hand was needed.

Smoke Signals – May 2016 Newsletter

Finally, I would be remiss not to mention how wonderfully we were received by our friends at Four Peaks Elementary. More than a few children came up spontaneously to thank us and one young man even took it upon himself to give everyone hugs of gratitude. I for one, cannot wait to return next year.

New Business: Jewelry and Moreby Connie Smith

Hello Members! I’ve recently started a business. This is a first for me! I’ve order craft supplies from wholesale companies to make it possible for you, our club members, to save money by not paying retail prices. Being the past Class Coordinator I know that some of you didn’t want tocome to classes because you didn’t want to pay retail prices for a large quantity of something that you only needed a few of.So, you can order jewelry making supplies through me at greatly reduced prices. Of course, you will need to pay for your order before I order it, but once your order comes in, and you don’t need or want everything that you ordered, I’ll give you the option of me purchasing it from you.Often, a wholeseller stipulates a minimun quantity to order before I can get the discount price. However, you only need to purchase what you want.I’m also trying to stock up on items that may be needed for classes, so some items I will have onhand that can be purchased at class time. I do shop from different companies to get the best prices.I’ve done some one-on-one classes and now I’m branching out and teaching classes for many. My first is Tuesday May 17th at 6:30pm. We will be making Tree of Life Pendants. Also, I’ll be teaching classes offsite, but will charge a nominal fee. I'll keep you posted about those classes.

Smoke Signals – May 2016 Newsletter

My company name is Jewelry & More and I can be contacted by email at jewelryandmore93@gmail.com or by phone (989)860-1895.So, feel free to contact me and let me know what you are looking for. I’ll work my hardest to get you the best deal!

A Note from Your Newsletter Editorby Laurie Jonas

I have been your newsletter editor for the past two years. It's been a great job, but now it's time for someone else to take over the helm. If you would like to volunteer to be the editor, please contact our secretary, Ruth Flynn at 480-694-9163 or reflynn@cox.net.