October 16, 2023 General Meeting Minutes

Ralph opened the meeting at 7 pm, with a note about safety, as well as recognition for Candi, Deb, Trevor, Dick, Gordy, Bonnie, Michael, Todd, Kevin & Kathy. We appreciate all you do as board members, and supporters of the club.

Welcome to our newest members: Zanna & Reinke, Jayson and Melissa!

Secretary Report: shuttle to Marysville show was a success, we’d like to know how to get more members involved next year, please share your ideas. 

The mall phone line continues to be successful, a friendly reminder the number is 564-565-0840 and is meant for business purposes only.

Treasurer Report: September expenses include store supplies, phone minutes, Oct – Nov – Dec mall rent. Income: dues, lap room fees, sales, RRR, vests.

2024 dues are “due.” If you have not yet settled up, you may pay cash or check at the next meeting, or directly in the store at the mall. Speaking of which, we will have our 3-year anniversary at Bellis Fair in November!

Membership: 166 active emails in our distribution list. If you are not receiving emails, please let Trevor know so we can make an update. 

Mineral Council: 2024 show to happen in Hermiston, OR. The next field trip is on 11/11 in Alger @ Blanchard Mountain. To participate, meet at 9 am at the 1-5 Alger exit Gas ‘n’ go station to carpool to the dig. Discover pass required to park. Find out more here: https://mineralcouncil.wordpress.com/

Lapidary Room: all is well, all equipment is up and running. Please remember to sign up and pay the $10 fee in the store by Tuesday. This will hold your spot and help us comply with mall requirements on Thursdays. Thank you!

RRR (which has since passed) was a success, thank you to all who participated and made it a fun event again this year.

Vests are now available – thank you Sharon & Bonnie for being our models. The cost is $25 each, and we also have about 20 patches in the store you can iron-on for $5/each.

Upcoming: Skagit show on November 11th & 12th in Sedro Woolley. More info HERE.

Our next meeting on November 20th is our annual fund-raising auction. THE MEETING STARTS EARLY – please bring all donations by 6 pm, and be signed up and registered to bid by 6:30 pm. The pace will be fast, as we want to end on time without having to give stuff away at the end.

The December 18th meeting will be our annual holiday party & potluck. More info to come soon. 

Thank you Harold, for volunteering to take over for Kevin & Kathy in the kitchen during December, January, and February. We appreciate you!

After break, we enjoyed viewing opal examples from members of the club. Opal has a chemical composition of SiO2, nH2O (silicon dioxide and water) and is a mineraloid; unlike minerals, mineraloids have no ordered atomic structure. Opals are made of hydrated silica and typically contain 6-10% water. This is why they are typically stored in water, to avoid cracking and breaking (due to no crystal structure between atoms.)

That’s all folks, see you at the auction. Remember to bring cash or check to pay for your winnings!!!

Submitted by Trevor Duncan, club secretary.

TLDR: check info in bold.

Club Web Address:  www.mtbakerrockclub.org
Visit us on Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/mtbakerrockclub
For Questions, Club Email:  admin@mtbakerrockclub.org
==============================================================
Club Retail Store, Bellis Fair Mall, Space 424 (JC Penney Wing)
Hours:  Closed Mondays, Tuesday-Saturday 11 am to 8, Sunday Noon to 7 pm
Phone: 564-565-0840
==============================================================