FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association
PHONE: 256.350.3500 / 800.648.5381
EMAIL: info@northalabama.org
Annual Gem, Jewelry and Mineral Show Celebrates its 50th Year
Decatur, Ala. – For the 50th year, a huge selection of gems, minerals, jewelry and fossils will be on display in the Rocket City the second weekend in October when the Huntsville Gem and Mineral Society hosts its annual Gem, Jewelry and Mineral Show. Considered the largest show of its kind in North Alabama and southern middle Tennessee, the three-day event offers an incredible display of every type and quality of gems, activities for children, lapidary demonstrations and displays by national and international dealers and more.
Set for October 13-15, 2017, the Gem, Jewelry and Mineral Show features national and international dealers with every type and quality of gems, collector specimens, lapidary materials, fossils, finished jewelry (costume to fine), an impressive variety of gemstone jewelry, lapidary art objects, and jewelry and lapidary supplies. There will also be lapidary demonstrations (the sawing, grinding, and polishing of stones), faceting demonstrations (a machine that grinds down sides of gemstones to create the facet shape) and displays. Over the past 50 years, the event has evolved into a major outlet for the public to network with quality vendors. Serious collectors can find almost any type of rock, mineral or fossil and it is a great outlet for anyone just getting started in the rock collecting/rock hounding hobby.
The show also serves as a great resource for school’s earth science curriculum at all levels. Guided tours for school and youth groups are offered where children can learn more about geology. Children can also dig for minerals and semiprecious stones. Cost is $1 for one minute of digging and they keep what they find. Volunteers will also be on hand with mineral identification books to help children identify the minerals and stones they find. The flume mining activity is always popular with the children. Each child receives a bag full of tiny gravel mixed in with tiny mineral and tiny semiprecious gemstones. With the use of a mesh screen, children sift out the gravel to find little treasures to take home. Cost is $3 per child.
Hours are Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. A donation of $3 per person is suggested or a weekend pass is available for $5 per person. Admission is free for children five years and younger. Parking is free. The event is held at the Jaycee Community Center located at 2180 Airport Road in Huntsville, Ala. For more information, visit http://huntsvillegms.org or contact show chair Tony Smith at tonysmith1976@ymail.com.
About Huntsville Gem & Mineral Society
The Huntsville Gem & Mineral Society is a non-profit educational organization for people interested in mineralogy, geology, paleontology, and related lapidary arts. Its primary purpose is the education of the members and the general public in these areas. This purpose is accomplished through programs, shows, lectures to school children and organizations, and exchange of rocks, minerals and artifacts. The Huntsville Gem and Mineral Society (HG&MS) was organized in 1958 by a small group of people who were interested in the lapidary arts. The Society was officially incorporated in Alabama in 1965 as a non-profit educational organization.
About Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA)
AMLA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the travel industry within the 16 northernmost counties of the state. It is supported by 500-plus members consisting of chambers of commerce, Convention & Visitors Bureaus, attractions, campgrounds, festivals, communities, counties, golf courses, restaurants, tour operators, accommodations, vendors, financial institutions and individuals. Counties included within the AMLA region are Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan and Winston. Additional information on North Alabama destinations, accommodations and special events is available by calling 800.648.5381 or by visiting www.NorthAlabama.org. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @VisitNorthAL and like us at www.facebook.com/VisitNorthAL.
