BRISTOL — Rock, gem and mineral fans from throughout the East will gather at Douglas Beals Senior/Community Center this weekend.

During its annual show, the Bristol Gem and Mineral Club is hosting the annual convention of the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies.

Twenty club members will display their collections and 18 dealers will have crystals, gems and rock-related books and jewelry to sell. The show is open to the public.

“People come and they usually wind up staying a lot longer than they expect to,” said David Korzendorfer, club president.

The show attracted almost 1,000 people last year, many of them children.

“Kids just love rocks,” said Korzendorfer.

This year, the club expects even more people, he said, because delegates from rock, gem and mineral clubs from Maine to Florida will participate.

Information on a trip to a Roxbury garnet mine will also be available. Also, there will be games for children, door prizes and food.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, Jack Pawloski, the director of the Connecticut Museum of Mining and Mineral Science in Kent, will speak about the state’s mining history. A 2 p.m. workshop will focus on how to identify minerals and at 3 p.m., the workshop is about common uses of rocks and minerals.

The show runs from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for ages 12 and up, seniors get in for $4. Children under 12 are admitted free, as are any Scout leaders or Scouts in uniform. Workshops are free.

(From Bristol Press comments)

“Been there” wrote on Oct 16, 2009 5:34 AM: