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Ishpeming Gem and Mineral Show celebrates 44 years

An array of gems, minerals and rocks on display at the Gem and Mineral Show are pictured.

ISHPEMING — Children, community members and rock and mineral enthusiasts gathered at the Ishpeming Elks Club Saturday for the 44th annual Gem and Mineral Show.

The show, hosted by the Ishpeming Rock and Mineral Club, featured rock jewelry, silent and live auctions, and rock and mineral specimens ranging from copper and iron ore to amethysts, fossils, agates and more.

“If you’re interested in minerals, there’s all sorts of minerals here for purchasing and for bidding and it’s the social aspect, too, for talking to members of the club, members of the public and people from other clubs,” Ishpeming Rock and Mineral Club President Steven Maki said. “We get members from clubs downstate, in Wisconsin, Keweenaw, they come here.”

While gems and minerals are beautiful to look at in their various colors and forms, they also tell the history of a region.

“There’s a lot of history and heritage in this area with respect to the iron ore mines, and I think to me another thing about the minerals is that people ask me what do I do with them. I have them in my yard, I have them in my house. To me, they’re like artwork, they’re like sculptures,” Maki said.

For Maki, who was born in Ishpeming, his rock collecting habit began when he was living in Virginia. He was visiting Michigan and wanted to bring a little piece of home back with him, so he grabbed a piece of low-grade iron ore. Now he has so many, he jokes he may just build a guest house out of ore.

But to Maki, this hobby is so much more than just a good collection.

“It’s being outdoors and being with friends, and it’s the treasure hunting aspect of it,” he said. “When you find something unique, it’s quite a thrill and it’s fun to display. It brings back the memory of good times.”

The show provided rock enthusiasts the opportunity to come together and the general public an opportunity to learn more about gems and minerals, but the event also provided scholarships to two Upper Peninsula students.

Proceeds raised from the raffle go toward funding the club’s annual Earth Science Awards, which presents a college student from Northern Michigan University and Michigan Technological University with a $500 scholarship per the recommendation of their professors.

Club member John Sprague said the scholarships are about helping local youth who share a similar interest in gems and minerals excel.

“The kids who get these, they attend one of our meetings, they sit through it and are presented the award, and when they do it, they don’t leave the meeting. They sit there and enjoy the meeting with us,” Sprague said. “A lot of the time if we have a special speaker, … they’ll ask some questions that make some of our old minds perk up, because they’re looking at it through different eyes.”

The Ishpeming Rock and Mineral Club is a group of over 150 individuals of various ages and professional backgrounds, who create and maintain an interest in minerals and mineral collecting; locate, identify and record minerals of the area while noting collection sites; and support the conservation and protection of unique geological areas in the Upper Peninsula.

To join the club, an application can be found at www.ishpemingrocks.org, or visit Ishpeming Rock and Mineral Club on Facebook. Membership is $10 for adults 16 years of age and older.

Trinity Carey can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 206. Her email address is tcarey@miningjournal.net.

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