September/October 2014 - Kingston Lapidary and Mineral Club

The Kingston Lapidary and Mineral Club Newsletter
The Streak Plate
September - October 2014 Issue
INDEX
Club News
Meetings
Members Report
Gemstorm
Whole Shebang
Field Trips
Tett Centre
Shows
Junior Program
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What is the
“Whole Shebang”
Page 4
MAIL
623 King St. West,
Kingston, ON, K7M-2E7
Tett Centre Update
page 7
WEB
www.mineralclub.ca
CONTACT
President
Paul Blaney, 544-5138
paulrichardblaney@
hotmail.com
Past-President
Peter Horrocks, 352-3608
hrocks@kingston.net
Vice-President, Social &
Publicity
Eileen Moss, 384-4439
emoss@cogeco.net
Show
Chair
&
Treasurer
Les Moss, 384-4439
emoss@cogeco.net
Membership, Program
Coordinator
Stephen Watts, 546-5973
swatts_3@sympatico.ca
Secretary
Wendy Dawes, 876-2505
wdawes1@cogeco.ca
Junior Program
Coordinator
Steve Watts, primary junior
program leader
Laurie Graham, 634-9345
grahamla@post.queensu.ca
Editor
Sheila Hutchison
531-8190
shutchisonmoyes
@gmail.com
Historian
Corinne Hellstrom,
548-4152
cjhellstrom@cogeco.ca
Shop Foreman
Dave Blair, 376-1564
daveblair@hotmail.ca
Field Trip Coordinator
Alfred Newnham 476-4893
Junior Program
Starts up again!
page 8
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Wasn’t that a wonderful summer, great temperatures and virtually no humidity? Great for
anyone who likes to cut grass, great for gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts. The only down
side was the bug population though. All of our field trips over the spring and summer were
very successful and very well attended. In this issue, Alfred has posted what’s happening in
September and a possible trip in October.
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Gem Storm is fast approaching. It’s the weekend after Thanksgiving, Saturday October 18 and
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Sunday October 19 at the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour. It’s an event not to be missed. In
this newsletter you will find details about the show as well as a Gem Storm flyer. Please print
or copy it and distribute it to your friends, family members or local stores. Please support our
club and plan on volunteering some hours into this fun weekend. Our shop re-opens Tuesday
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Sept 9 with lots of courses and activities planned.
All the best and enjoy this great weather!!
Paul Blaney
The Streak Plate, Sept. – Oct. 2014 Issue
Club News
GENERAL NEWS By Eileen Moss
Our field trips over the summer, led by Alfred Newnham were very well attended and very successful. If anyone has
pictures from these trips that you would like to share, email them to me and I will include them in the November issue of
the newsletter with Alfred’s filed trip report.
We participated this year in Leisure Showcase at the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Saturday September 6. We were able
to promote our upcoming Gem Storm show, the children’s program, our silver smithing courses and of course the club.
The shop reopened the week of September 9. Silver smithing courses have started, as well wax casting and a PMC course.
For a full outline of what is happening at the shop over the next few months, check out our google calendar at
https://sites.google.com/site/kingstonlapidary/calendar Many more experienced programs will be planned for the winter
months once we reopen at our new site. So stay tuned.
Our move to the Tett, that has been delayed until early December. No final arrangements have been set but we recently
had a tour of the building. Steve Watts, Dave Blair, Les Moss and I had a chance to see the inside of the Tett and our new
space. I took quite a few photos, but it’s too hard to capture the actual space. Until we actually move in with the
equipment and benches, the size and open space of each room is hard to visualize. The walls and windows are up and
finished with doors, electrical etc. The floor is concrete which will be sealed and polished. Venting and lights are still to be
completed. We have two screened windows that open for fresh air in the saw and grinding room. In the silver smithing
room, we have a wide closed in glass viewing space that views the corridor and windows on the opposite wall. This really
assists with natural light. We will have a large storage area separated from the studio space by a wall and door in which we
can store rocks, the children’s mine, chairs, equipment etc. All of the saws and grinding machines will be in the back part of
the studio separated by a wall. The silver smithing equipment and large table will be in the front part of the studio.
We also saw the other studios, the malting tower, the café, the rehearsal space etc. The building will be beautiful once
completed, with easy access from a variety of doors. The Isabel Bader building has its grand opening September 13, so
very soon will be a hub of activity.
We have classes planned until Saturday November 22. If the move continues as planned, we will close the shop down at
that time for packing, inventory, cleaning and painting. If you have some time to assist please do volunteer as many hands
make light work.
Dave Kerr, our Tenants of the Tett representative, has been very involved in this whole process. Please read his update in
this newsletter. Moyra Riley, our representative for the Whole Shebang, has also written an article with pictures of how
this process is working and updates. Thank you both for all your hours of volunteering, work and dedication.
Meetings
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Friday October 24 630pm at the shop
Brad Wilson will be our guest speaker for the evening. Be sure to mark this date
on your calendar. Brad’s topic this year is “Gems and Minerals of Mount Foster, British
Columbia” Brad has been collecting at this site now for over a 32 year period. He will have
some great digital pictures and samples on hand.
November meeting- has been cancelled because of our imminent move to the Tett centre.
December meeting – to be announced, hopefully this will be at our new site.
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The Streak Plate, Sept. – Oct. 2014 Issue
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Members Report
A warm welcome is extended to the following new members
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May Hung Li & Shumei He – family
Martin Kandler – adult returning
Pam Fidler & Glen George – family
Denise & Robert McLeod – family
Mark & Chris Parkison – family
Christine Winter- adult
Patti Marko – adult
Alana Kapell – adult
Jennifer Allan – adult
Robin & Catherine Carbino – family
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Joelle Dickson – adult
Sue Seaman – adult
Chris Cousineau-Willard – adult
Colleen Schofield – adult returning
Kim Boreham – adult returning
Jennifer Wattam – adult
Anita Harnden & Rob Blasko – family
Michelle Pitts – adult
Jennifer Day – adult
We now have 196 adult, family or junior memberships. As always, if you would like some specific courses or filed trips, do
let us know. Simply email me at emoss@cogeco.net. If you have any skills that you can offer the members, as well, do
please volunteer. Our club is made strong by the many helping hands.
Gem Storm 2014
It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over but with its passing comes the excitement of Gem Storm. This year Gem
Storm is Saturday October 18(10AM – 6PM) and Sunday October 19 (10AM – 5PM) at the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour.
Admission remains at the bargain price of $3 per person with children 12 and under free, if accompanied by a paying adult.
Be sure to mark this date on your calendar and invite your family, friends and relatives. Watch for our upcoming ads in the
newspapers and radio as well as street signs.
We now have a full complement of dealers. All of last year’s dealers returned this year. We have an excellent mix of
mineral dealers, gemstones, carvings, beads, suppliers and finished jewellery. There will be something for every interest
and budget. Our expanded children’s mine continues to be a huge success as is our jewellery workshop where participants
have the opportunity to make beaded creations. We will also feature a sale of member’s items at the information table.
This continues to be an excellent way to display and sell our member’s work that doesn’t have a dealer table.
We will again have the draw of 2 grand prizes, each of a paid working with silver course offered by the club to be taken
during the 2014-2015 year.
Now to make this show a success, we need you, the club members to volunteer some of your time during the show. This is
a family activity, so your children are very welcome to assist. If you have any teenagers requiring volunteer hours, this is
an excellent opportunity for them as well. The jobs are fun and give them great experience in dealing with the public.
They can quickly add up the hours over the 2 day event. As always, many hands make light work but in this case, help to
take part in something that is fun, exciting and rewarding.
During the show we will need volunteers for the following activities (Please contact Eileen to set up which volunteer
activities and time spots you are available to complete).
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Volunteers to man the entrances during show set up Saturday and Sunday morning before the show
Volunteers to man the admission table – 2 people every 2-3 hours for the duration of the show
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The Streak Plate, Sept. – Oct. 2014 Issue
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Volunteers to man the mine and Children’s activities – 2 people every 2-3 hours for the duration of the show. This
is an excellent opportunity for adults with children to work together
Volunteers to man the jewellery workshop during show hours 2 people every 2-3 hours for the duration of the
show
Volunteers to man the information table, answering questions and taking new or renewal memberships. This
position is designed for members selling their items for sale.
You will find a GEM STORM FLYER attached to this issue:
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Please display at least one at your place of business or neighborhood store or give it to your friends or neighbours
Distribute as many as you can (contact Eileen for more copies or download and print them from the web site)
If you can put up posters at schools, malls, stores, Queen’s/St Lawrence, motels, etc. prior to the show please
contact Eileen to arrange to pick up a stack of printed copies. Any and all help is much appreciated.
Please contact Eileen Moss to confirm your participation: email emoss@cogeco.net or phone 613-384-4439.
Member Table Display Opportunity
Over the last few years, we have tried something different at Gem Storm and it has been very successful. We had a
number of club members selling their products at the information table, which is at the beginning of the room. This table
combined club information, hourly draw prizes and member’s works for sale. Each member contributing items for sale is
expected to share in manning the table. Duties include selling member’s work, doing the hourly draw, providing club
information and taking in membership dues. By doing this, two objectives are achieved – sale of members works and
manning the club information table.
Each of the items submitted for sale at the table would need to be clearly identified as to member name and sale price, for
convenience please round your prices to $5 for each item. As well, any items on the table cannot be guaranteed against
theft or damage unfortunately. There would be no cost for items displayed for sale.
If you are interested, please email Eileen Moss at emoss@cogeco.net and include when you would be available to man the
membership table. I will send out a more detailed planning email to the participants.
The Whole Shebang
In the spring of 2013, a new concept in collaborative creation was introduced to Kingston. With the help of a generous
grant from the Ontario Arts Council, Dreamwalker Dance Company and The Grand Theatre/City of Kingston partnered with
Kingston School of Dance to lead tenants of the Tett Centre in developing creative connections and building an inclusive
arts community.
Artists can be quite insular and goal oriented as they seek to express their individual creative voices. The Shebang process
is geared to breaking down those barriers and evolving a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Andrea Nann is
Dreamwalker's "ninja maestro", stealthily guiding the rag tag group of individual Tett representatives to allow themselves
and their connections to emerge in forming a jewel of a grand opening ceremony slated for the Tett Centre on February 1,
2015. Of course, the seeds planted trough the Shebang process will continue to blossom long after the grand opening.
The current members of the Whole Shebang team are:
Andrea Nann,Tess Girard, Jessa Agilo, Elysha Poirier, Nadine Saxton,
Kay Kenney, Helen Yung - Dreamwalker Dance, Ebon Gage, Melissa Gilroy - Kingston School of Dance
Chantal Thompson, Terry Snider - Joe's M.I.L.L., Irina Skvortsova - Kingston Arts Council
Dorothy Young - Kingston Handloom Weavers and Spinners, Harry Simons - Modern Fuel Artist Run Centre
Alison Gowan, Kyoko Ogoda - Kingston music community at large, Moyra Riley - Kingston Lapidary an Mineral Club
Melissa Mahady Wilton - Liaison between Shebang and the city of Kingston
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The Streak Plate, Sept. – Oct. 2014 Issue
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The Shebang team has recently completed a ten day intensive at Kingston's Baby Grand Theatre. Through exploring and
sharing in movement, stories and music, the Tett Grand opening celebration began to take shape. There is no sitting
around a conference table and hashing things out with this team. The exercises that Andrea and other team members use
to engage the participating artists seem to just magically elicit ideas and connections that will enable them to showcase
the Tett and engage the tenants and community at large in the process.
More details about the schedule for February 1 will be shared in the next newsletter. In the words of our neighbour's Uncle
Sam..."We Want You!"....so be sure to reserve February 1 to come out and celebrate the Tett!
Field Trips
I'm sorry to say I have nothing lined up for Sept. and because of other commitments I won't have. I would like to remind
people of a couple of events they might like to attend in lieu of a field trip.
The first is a CCFMS trip to St. Marys Cement in Bomanville on Sept. 21st. Full safety equipment is required, footwear, hard
hat, safety vest and eye protection (there is an age restriction).
When: This year's collecting trip, organized by the Central Canadian Federation of Mineralogical Societies into the St
Mary’s Quarry will be on Sunday, September 21st, 2014. This location is NOT open to collecting by individuals or groups
other than these scheduled trips. The trips are open to all members of CCFMS. No fee is charged, however, a CCFMS
affiliated club membership card needs to be produced prior to entry. Pre-registration with the trip leader (Randy Ernst) is
required so we have a good idea of the number of participants.
Conditions: This is a working quarry. Collectors must be 16 years of age by law. No exceptions. You will require full safety
equipment which includes safety helmet, safety goggles, CSA Approved "green patch" steel-toed safety work boots and a
reflective safety vest. A sign-in, sign-out policy is in effect.
Liability Waiver: You must be a current club member of a CCFMS club. You will be asked to show your rock club
membership card as proof. You will be required to sign in with the Trip Leader and sign a liability waiver. You are expected
to follow all instructions regarding safety, collecting & courtesy as outlined during the safety talk before entry to the
quarry.
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The Streak Plate, Sept. – Oct. 2014 Issue
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Arrival & Departure: Plan to arrive no later than 8:30 a.m. Check in with the Trip Leader on arrival. All collectors need to
attend the group safety talk at 8:45 a.m. Entry to the quarry is at 9 a.m. sharp. If you plan on leaving prior to the end of the
scheduled visit, inform the trip leader. The departure time will be stated at the beginning of the day. 5 minutes before
departure, you will hear honking. This is your signal to do your final packing up and to leave. There is a sign-in/sign-out
policy in effect. Failure to sign out may affect your future CCFMS field trip privileges. This is a very large quarry and we
don't want to search for you if you have already gone for the day.
Directions: Exit 401 at Waverley Road (Exit #431). Go south on Waverley, turn right just before the St Mary Cement Co.
sign (as in the above picture) and after about a couple hundred yards will be first entrance with building on the left.. This is
the office and entrance to the quarry. Turn left into the parking lot. This is the meeting place. After the safety talk we will
drive in a convoy into the quarry. You may drive directly to the designated collecting sites within the quarry with your car.
However, this may change if there is work being done that day.
Map to St Marys Cement Quarry
The second is to Norwood to Stanley Auction center for the second
annual show / swap /sale. Everyone welcome, no admission, from
about 9AM to 1-2 PM. This is Sept. 28th.
Doors open at 9 am, everyone who wants table space be there before
10 am.
Free admission, and *no charge for the table space.
There will be tables available at 9 am on a first come, first served basis, but it is recommended that you reserve your space
in advance to avoid disappointment.
Location: Stanley Auction Centre, 56 Alma Street, Norwood, ON K0L 2V0
Directions: From the traffic lights on Highway 7 in Norwood, travel one block south on County Road 45, then east three
blocks on Alma Street. Centre is attached to the Curling Club and about 500 m north of the Community Centre. It is not
located on the 11th line, as Google map indicates.
Members, family and guests are welcome, especially those that may be interested in becoming a member of any club.
Kawartha R&FC, Bancroft G&MC, Kingston L&MC, Prince Edward County RG&MC and Haliburton GS and other club
members welcome.
Bring all your collected specimens, Finished or Not, anything you want to Give-A-Way, Swap, Sell or just Display & Brag!
Bring your rocks & fossils, there will be space for all, they don't have to be show quality to be appreciated. I'm sure there
will be a story with every rock & fossil you bring.
For the members that have only small collections, we especially encourage you to bring them along as you do not have to
fill a large table. There will be many tables setup to share with one or more of your fellow members if you wish.
Come out and help make this a memorable social event.
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The Streak Plate, Sept. – Oct. 2014 Issue
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Bring your own lunch.
For table reservation contact Mark Stanley, Past President KR&FC, fulgurite@bellnet.ca 705 639 2406
For more info contact Robert Montgomery, President KR&FC, robertm@bell.net
* If you would kindly donate a specimen to be used in our March 2014 Show silent auctions, to show your appreciation for
the table space and hosting of this event.
I hope to have a trip to collect Herkimer diamonds, (quartz Crystals) in late October. A passport will be required at
the border! Hopefully more info as to dates times etc. to follow in near future. Regards Alf.
Tett Centre
Progress Report on the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning, Sept 5, 2014 by Dave Kerr
Two full-time employees were hired in July and are hard at work preparing the Tett for occupancy, operation and
community programming. These employees are John Mirski (Facility Manager) and Shannon Brown (Community
Engagement Coordinator).
Construction is on-target to meet the revised occupancy date of November 19th, 2014. Suites are nearly complete and the
roof of the Malting Tower roof should be fully raised by September 10th, 2014.
Progress is being made towards the rental of artist studios and other public spaces such as the Malting Tower. Exciting
plans are in the works for opening ceremonies, collaborative workshops, and summer camps for 2015, etc. Discussion is
ongoing with potential café operators.
The Operating Budget for 2014 and 2015 has been approved by the Tett Board and two new Community Members will be
joining the Tett Board (Amanda Chapman and Paul Vernon).
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The Streak Plate, Sept. – Oct. 2014 Issue
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Shows
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Sept 20-21 48 Annual Ottawa Gem, Mineral and Jewellery Show & Sale Sat. 10-6, Sun 10-5, 1701 Woodroffe
Avenue, Ottawa – For more information www.olmc.ca or send email to dealerchair@olmc.ca or showchair@olmc.ca
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Oct 18-19 45 Annual Gem Storm Sat 10-6, Sun 10-5, Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, 53 Yonge Street, Kingston, ON,
contact Les Moss at emoss@cogeco.net
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Oct 24-25 Annual UW Gem & Mineral Show Fri. 12-6, Sat 10-5, University of Waterloo campus, Centre for
Environmental & Information Technology (EIT) building, Admission & Parking free in the gravel lot beside B lot
https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/
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Nov 1 Walker Club Annual Auction, Sat. Viewing starts at noon, auction at 1 pm – Knox United Church Christian
Education Centre Auditorium in Scarborough. NE corner of Sheppard and Midland avenues Information: Contact
Frank Ruehlicke at 519-880-2716 or ruehlicke@rogers.com Website: www.walkermineralogicalclub.com/
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For a complete list regionally please see: http://www.ccfms.ca/Events/events2014.html
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For a complete list internationally please see: http://www.rockngem.com/show-dates-display/?ShowState=ALL
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Next Junior Program Begins October 2014
Starting in October, one Friday night a month from 6:30-8:00PM, we will be offering a children’s program for 8-12 year
olds. With the exception of 2 evenings, this will be a separate event form the normal general meeting held the
second Friday of the month.
Our tentative list of topics and activities are
What are minerals, rocks and crystals. Rock types. Grow your own crystals to take home.
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Beading (earrings, necklaces etc.) for self or to give perhaps as gifts for Christmas
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Volcanoes, earthquakes and plate tectonics, volcanic and plutonic rocks
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Geology on other planets and moons, observing the moon and planets through a telescope
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Creating a mosaic picture using rocks, shells and other natural related material
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Identifying minerals and making a boxed set of 14 minerals to take home
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How are fossils formed, extract bones from a matrix to make a small plastic dinosaur model or discover a real fossil fish
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Christmas party (Club general meeting)
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Rock Auction (club general meeting)
All children must have a membership to the club for insurance purposes. Family memberships cost $25. We will be charging a fee of $40
for the program, to cover the cost of materials. The children can expect to take home a mineral set, crystals they have grown, a fossil
fish, jewellery and a mosaic project. The club has a variety of rocks and other materials which will be shown to the children and they will
also be supplied with printouts on some of our topics.
Enrollment in the program will be limited to 10 children, with one - two adult instructors. Parents or guardians can drop off their children
or stay and join in the fun.
We will be accepting children from the ages of 8-12 years of age. Enrollments will be accepted until the course is full. Since the program
will not change much from year to year, each child should only attend once.
Email Stephen Watts at swatts_3@sympatico.ca or call 613-546-5973 to reserve a spot for your child (first come basis) or if you have any
further questions.
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