“For years and years, this will be the 20th year, our club has sponsored what’s called the Rock Rendezvous,” WAMS President Jim Sachet said in a phone call with the Olympian.
In addition to sponsoring the show, the group aims to educate people about rocks and gems and encourage visitors to learn more about them. One method is running a booth at the fair where they sell rocks to attendees.
“Our single largest source of revenue each year is to have our booth at the rock show and sell rocks,” Sachet said. “This is an opportunity to display all kinds of different rocks that have been collected, a lot of them from southwest Washington, but then they’re also from basically all over the world.”
Slow recovery from COVID
With this year’s show slated to start on July 26, the Olympia-based organization, which was founded in 1937, is having trouble putting a collection together.
“This year in particular, we’ve had a tough time,” Sachet said. “Normally, we’re able to get donations from individuals, often previous members of the club, or we become aware of collections that are available, and then we’re able to buy those. And that just hasn’t happened for whatever reason this year.”
Sachet suspects that people are struggling to donate as they recover from the social and financial impacts of the pandemic.
“I think some of it may be associated with the difficulty of coming out of the pandemic and the COVID years,” Sachet said. “So, this year, we’re reaching out to neighboring clubs to see if they have any inventory that they’d be willing to donate or sell to us, as well as posting fliers.”
Resplendent in the traditional tartan uniform he wears when playing with the Olympia Highlanders Bagpipe & Drum Corps, renowned Tenino stone carver Keith Phillips fills Sussex Avenue with the sounds of the bagpipes as Grand Marshal for the annual Oregon Trail Days Parade on Saturday, July 23, 2022. Seated with friend Anne Sweringen, who tossed candy to eager kids along the route, the couple were chauffeured in style by Joe Kanke and Joanne Gripp in his vintage 1954 Ford Crestline convertible. Steve Bloom sbloom@theolympian.com
What will be at the show?
Amid their struggles, WAMS, which has about thirty active members, set aside roughly 10% of its available budget to buy up to $1,500 in new rocks for the show. Sachet said the group will use some of the money to buy rocks common to Washington.
“There’s a type of agate called carnelian, which can be quite red or yellow and sometimes clear. It’s very beautiful, often found in streams in southern Thurston County and Lewis County,” Sachet said. “Petrified wood is pretty common. And then there’s also a rock called jasper which can come in a whole host of different colors, also in the quartz family.”
The rocks and gems being sold aren’t just for viewing, according to Sachet.
“All of those can be cut and polished and make beautiful jewelry as well as bookends and whatever else you’d like to look at and handle,” Sachet said.
The wide variety of gems and minerals found in Washington make rock collecting and rockhounding popular pastimes in the state. The Washington State Mineral Council lists 21 member clubs on its website, while the Northwest Federation Mineralogical Society recognizes 25 rock and gem clubs in the state. Sachet recommends the show even for people with little knowledge about rocks.
“It’s a cross-section of newcomers and experienced rock hounds,” he said.
Washington Agate and Mineral Society President Jim Sachet (right) sets up a display of rocks and minerals with other club members. Courtesy of Jim Sachet
When and where will the show be?
The Tenino Rock and Gem Rendezvous will be held between Friday, July 26, and Sunday, July 28. The show will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. the first two days before closing at 5:00 p.m. on the last day. If you’re interested in selling rocks or gems to WAMS, you can contact them at WAMSolympia@gmail.com.
It will take place at 300 Park Ave. W in Tenino. Admission is free.
This story was originally published June 20, 2024 at 10:23 AM.
Daniel Schrager is the service journalism reporter at the Bellingham Herald. He joined the Herald in February of 2024 after graduating from Rice University in 2023.Support my work with a digital subscription
