Apache Junction Rock & Gem Club is hosting its semi-annual Rock & Mineral Show at a new location in March. They are bringing the rock show to Mesa Community College, located at 1401 S. Dobson Road.
This dog-friendly event will be held in the parking lot under the solar panel shade structures. Over 70 vendors from Arizona and nearby states will be selling precious gems, minerals, rocks, slabs, and jewelry.
The show is outdoors on Saturday, March 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, March 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost for adults is $3, students with school ID are $1, and children 12 years and under are free.
Other great features of this rock show are all the activities for kids to learn and share an interest in rocks. The club encourages rock hounding at a young age and participates in STEM nights at local junior high schools. Children enjoy being involved in spending time outdoors digging around in the dirt on the hunt for sparkly rocks and rocks of deep hues like red Jaspers, green Malachite, Turquoise, blue Azurite, Chrysocolla, and Payson Diamonds.
When kids go rock-hounding, it can be a great outing for the whole family.
Connecting with nature is a wonderful thing for everyone’s physical and mental health.
The club is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides scholarships to students whose main interests are Earth Sciences and Geology. This year, there will be a scholarship program for undergrad students to apply for at Mesa Community College. The Scholarship Committee at the rock club is facilitated by Vicki Bretey.
If you love rocks, consider joining the club, located at 2151 W. Superstition Blvd. The facility has a large lapidary room set up with machines to cut rocks, polish, grind down, and shape to make cabochons for necklaces or other jewelry items. There is also a Silver Smithing program to learn how to set stones in jewelry.
The club is a learning center providing hands-on instruction by talented club trustees. The club also arranges more than 40 local field trips a year to go on rock hunts plus holds a monthly general meeting open to the public on the second Thursday of the month from September through May. The cost to join the club is $4 per month plus fees for equipment use.
To find more information about the Apache Junction Rock & Gem Club, or to request to be a vendor at their upcoming rock shows, visit their website at ajrockclub.com.