World of the Rockhound; 25

And if anyone is looking for a hobby I think the person should have a hobby I don't care whether it's rocks or postage stamps or whittling. Get a hobby. You live many years longer. Than. The second largest craft hobby in America today is said to be rock counting with all of its branches of interest some of which are Jim cutting making jewelry and the collection of gemstones rocks minerals and fossils. This universal hobby has grown to astonishing proportions in the last 25 years and shows signs of even more rapid growth as the need develops for more people to pursue more leisure time activities due to the fact that the working few hours have more days off and get more vacation time. Rocks and minerals as specimens are be extreme importance to the rock. Most people do not realize the important role rocks and minerals play in everyday living. For example

fluorite used in toothpaste and clothing. This series of programs is designed to give an overall picture of the rockhound. Offer encouragement to the newcomer in this hobby and present information of general interest to everyone. All of this will be examined as we explore the world of the rock. Today's program is entitled rock and mineral shows. The narrator is Len folk. The culmination of all the efforts of the rock hound hobbyist is evidence dead a rock and mineral show throughout the country many of these exhibits are held annually. It is a known fact that in one year four and a half million people paid admission to attend some 800 rock shows in the United States. In addition to this figure there's no telling how many people attended events such as these where there was no admission charge. The largest show of

968 was the national Gem and Mineral Show held on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal Illinois. This was the annual exposition of the American Federation of mineralogical societies. The show ran for four days. But those who were there would have to agree that even a four day period wasn't enough time to see all of the exhibits competitive and otherwise talk with all the dealers. Visit with old friends swap specimens and listen to lectures as well as watch movies of interest to rock hands and attend banquets meetings and other functions. Nearly everyone in the Sister Cities of Bloomington and normal assisted in some way with this rock show here we talked with radio personality Warren Williams. I'm a news director about wy OK here in the Twin Cities Bloomington normal. And I'm not a rock around but I believe after watching this extensive exhibit I could easily be turned into one.

Do you think to be a favorite catching program. I've been told that once you see it and once you get involved you get interested and I can see why. Have you any idea how many people may be here at the show. During the four days I have no idea but I've talked to Jon Karl and Frank was instrumental in bringing the show here and setting it up and they're expecting up to 75000 and for a small community that's a lot of people. It. Uses all your facilities in the community does move. Yes it does and to my knowledge this is the first time a show of this magnitude has been brought to a small community when I say small community that for your listeners sake the two cities normal and Bloomington are adjacent and are probably 75000 people here. One of the busiest man was John Carro an attorney and president of the host collab who gave some facts concerning preparation of a show of this magnitude. REM Jon Karl. And you are out. The president very well up here.

And what's the name of the car. Corn Belt weaponry in geological society. You've got a lot to do these last few weeks haven't you a few months I should say that I'm Fraser gross understatement. How long has this show been in the planning for half it all between four and three years. We've been flying on this in quite a while. How many people do you think. I would say somewhere in excess of 50000. And I don't I can't have. Literally all over the country in some cases all over the world. OK you tell me you have some of the problems that you and I know there are problems with anything if they get in. One of the biggest problems one has is getting enough workers to get the jobs done you end up by commandeering anybody in sight to put them to work. Financing is always a very major problem and hunting for sources to. Finance the various. Activities and so forth. Just the

office work and we're just excited. Fantastic. Brown was almost a military operation. There's a great deal of physical work to be done here in setting up all these exhibits I would say. Quite so in this particular case we have. Laid plywood over the gym floors which is just a little under an acre prior and another acre of paper heavy paper under that. As far as the materials and coffer concerned just bought a lawn there's somebody trying three and four miles off which. Have. Been put on the dealer's tables and the display areas. And a lot of farms. Well I noticed you had to have you have a lot of electric cars around here you can field our vendor from a light that you have to. Imagine semi. Yes the wiring in this case was specially made the university. Has not had a show similar to this

before even remotely close to it. So the university. Then proceeded to make special wiring harness for this for both the north and south Jem and the Martin Fieldhouse area. And in this room that we're in right now there's proximately 75 dealers are demonstrators. 16 feet is carrying approximately a thousand watts per 16 feet so you can imagine the electrical load that we have here. You have dealers in one section and then you have that. Exhibitions by an. Amateur and professional of. Members in. Whatever activities that their share. Of the. Demonstrators. Demonstrating various techniques of handling rock are making various things. Of course our major feature here. We have individuals who are fascinating blowing glass and making cabbage shots. And just on the spur of the moment I am

sure I can recall one tenth of what we have but I think we have someone in the neighborhood of 15 and demonstrations going on the floor and one time. I their lectures and movies. Available. Yes we have a programme of lectures. Basically individuals who are noted for some. Particular. Area from all across the country. These people are usually authorities are very well-known individuals. The system that we have here offer two lectures going on at any one time. And Dishan of that we have a 90 minute movie going on and. I start out a Tory I'm sorry John Wesley and Reverend John Wesley Powell. Who was a local. Professor when he went down the Colorado river by boat. Boxer and I 9 years ago. I know stepping outside her big tent after their hunt for that. Rats are swapped and this is what we call East meeting West being

centrally located in the United States. We've promoted very heavily the US the swap aspect of our show. This is where people who go out in the field and obtain male specimens. Bring them here. And they swap with people from other parts of the country or other individuals who have something they want. There's no charge involved with us other than a general admission they have a ball over there. John Carlin mentioned the SWAT team and here are some examples of the activity there. I mean Adobe right. I'm from L got Indiana. And what have you got here. We have one car over in Northern Michigan and Geo is from Brown County Flint from Flint rage. Lovely bi colored flange pastel colors on the other table we have over here the calcite Christo the golden cow side from Pew quarry near Portage Ohio the Pitofsky stone from. But to ask you Michigan. Animal Life to Live Ford 65 million years

ago we have a few stones in the plant that have been tumbled. Very beautiful pastel colors. She's on radio right on this line here. We have some of the stones from O Mexico and we bought a line for people to see and a swap and everything that you have collected your stamp and you find that with other people we have to like that each and every one of these stones I sell everything we swap for we do not swap back we keep only the things we love and whatever we swap the stones for we can't even take home a collection. How do you transfer out of a we have a three quarter ton pickup truck and if we get too much stuff we pack it up and ship it by freight. We're going into Denver show next to Salt Lake City show next year we'll have to ship out because of the tonnage going out there. We do not go in the wholesale or the retail and we only swap thanks very much most everything in thank you. What's happening here now. Jean Murray.

From Center City our central city our how much it is easier for all this first section of table here say about five or six yards in length. If you collected most of it yes. Most of asylum material I have some of our coal water agates which are extremely rare as well as some I will Coral which is really good coral hard coral and have quite a bit of minerals from pines Cori near Raymond our house swapping business here well just fine. Actually I don't suppose the general public realizes it. You can swap this thing minerals and. Somewhat ugly looking objects for faceted stones such as Amethyst and paradise and so forth. And now people come to you and get you and then you give it to to give something to them is that the way this works. Yes it's not really too much a dollar and cents wise value on

objects but what what appeals to one's aesthetic sense of values. You know what. For what. What is pretty. This is the main selling point you know rather than how much it might cost inside the auditorium where they're selling your stuff. This money if it's their money to you or is it just transferring material. Well I think there are some there are some true by that I mean those who just appreciate the beauties of nature and collect standpoint maybe even collect from a theological standpoint. They see the Creator God in this. But there are some who I think have a psychological reason for training. That is they they compare what they're getting with how much it might make them want to trade or selling it somewhere else. You might say that what glitters from a standpoint of the mineral is transferred over to the money. The glittering of money

if they don't pay many here are not allowed to transact any deals money wise in this tent. However there's always deals that go on outside in the open air. Thank you so tell me first your name. Douglas mine from from Kenosha Wisconsin and I notice you have yet to get a filling them up and me. Off. The show building up there. One of the dealers are selling them and I got one because I am a rock out and I want to advertise a little bit. How do you know what you know is what your backside if you really go on your car or your face with my bank all the time I'm here if I sit down to go around to the front and eventually I'll probably end up on my car. Are you taking it.

My first grade teacher. Thank you. Thank. You and it's been four. It's beautiful. Thank you. If you'll tell me your name

for my name if you're going to be a guy away that's very savvy Do they have certain rules do you have to register here to come and have a swap. A section of the swap. You have to register with the delegate that's in charge of the test first whopping. It's open from 8:00 o'clock till ten at night. Are you allotted a certain amount of space. Yes we're allowed anywhere from four to eight feet. What do you have to bring in the way of your own equipment beside the articles that you're going to swap just trading material that's following our visit at the swap didn't we talked with the chairman of the show who also had one of the largest exhibits on display. I am Lafayette funk. Show chairman of the 1968 and I don't feel that normal. You have a job here. Well it's been a big job but it's been a lot of fun and we've had one full cooperation of all of our club members and with the university and we were attempting to put on

fine a show that's ever been sparse and accommodating the public and we've had many compliments. Being chairman of the show you have your own exhibit here. Yes that's true I brought up so maybe three four five ton which are going to be turned over to the university as soon as the show's over. This is the last time this will be available to the public. The university is and is putting putting them in temporary exhibition room where they must be shown to the public or the university doesn't get them. So anyone can see them and there's particularly for the benefit of the students but the public is welcome any day. Tell me about some of the items in your collection. Well naturally I have four I'm from Illinois. And some from along the Mississippi river the lake superior type and enough from up on the lead

mines. And then some fossils. And in addition to that gets crystals and minerals from. All over the country. If you collected most of these things I fear I would be an old man a hundred years old if I had done that so I have traded for lots of them and if I couldn't trade then I have purchased. I have not collected my collection from the standpoint of monetary value but from a standpoint of crystal structure and beauty. And. What it cost was incidental. Well tell me where do you keep all these things when they're not on display like this. Why do you have room for it. And. In the back yard I have a building in which I have been keeping them for many years and I have not had my cars in the garage for the last 6 or 7 years and it's still full. I notice some of your displays have paintings in the bank.

You know you do that you know a friend of mine who lives south of Springfield at Chatham Illinois. Mrs. Cornelius did that for me and I told her my cum sample and not extensive and people seem to like him it gives a background to the type of country where the rocks are found. And just what is in the background I can't see too well from here. We have mountain scenes and mining scenes and desert scenes where you pick up the Obsidian Joelson and the Coppermine open pit mining in front of that picture we have the various copper minerals which are. Found in that type of a mine. How did you get started in this hobby. Well I didn't start until our two sons were in college Boulder Colorado and Mrs. funk and I would often go out there and go fishing with them up in the mountain streams and one day we were going up the canyon the older son began to

tell me what the rocks were along the canyon and I said what in the world do you know about rocks so he said I'm technic Orson geology so I turned to his mother and said Well on venison the cigar in Venice we traveled all over United States and played here also. Let's start picking up a few rocks so I got the rock fever. This is in addition to the Iraq favorite That's true. While I just retired first of the year we do have one of the largest hybrid seed corn badness as well as pharmacy Benicio United States. Canning having it so popular and it seems to be growing every day. No doubt you recommend it. Well I would say in the Midwest. Such as the central states of United States it is only moved into this area in the last 10 years. It's older on the West Coast and those guide really move to the Midwest. However a few years ago the east coast took it up very

strongly to me it's one of the finest hobbies is. It has grown to. Date aware there are millions of people cutting and polishing stoners. It's next to stamps it's the second largest hobby in the world. And one thing it's something that when a person takes an old rough rock and opens it up and then polished it you have something that the man never saw before until some man. Or woman opened it up and performed a little. Effort on it and then they're proud of it as they can be and you can't blame them. Thank you Mr. Funk I know you're busy with your many duties and appreciate this conversation. I'm very happy to. Promote the hobby and if anyone is looking for a hobby I think the person should have a hobby I don't care a bit whether it's rocks or postage stamps or whittling. Get a hobby. You live many years longer.

That was Mr. Lafayette funk. General Chairman of the 1968 national jam and mineral show dealers spectators and exhibitors had come from everywhere it seemed and each person had his own special reason for attending one exhibitor was substituting for his son who had gone into the service. This man was displaying huge crystals of amethyst weighing as much as 80 pounds each. And these could be seen most effectively under a large glass like domes. I'm Richard woods. I'm your I want to believe yeah I've been there about 20 years but we have a place in Minnesota. So that. Being in Minnesota we do a lot of gathering work. Of things here. I have been doing it so much more my son it's his hobby. But he's rather busy right now and has asked me to display these materials for him. So that I agreed. Hall he's often Saigon Vietnam why I'll take over and do

the things that he requested. Strange. But you accept those assignments. For some sentimental reason there or there although. He has had a very fascinating hobby of it. And has gotten some very excellent Crystal specimens. Well he has an interesting way of displaying them too under these guys. What do you call these not off a plastic dome. Yes these plastic domes that he has are part of an idea he's worked out from having worked for a while at the World's Fair in New York as well as I had and quartz lights. Why it makes it very brilliant effective display for this type of specimen. These crystals will reflect. And it puts out a very fascinating. Reflection of all the minute. Crystal spots that you can see from here. It also protects the crystals too doesn't it. Well by all means it's a strange thing though how fascinating people are to want to

put their fingers on it. Before I can get the dome on it it at least a half a dozen hands that I get. Those kisses one way or another. Mr. Woods discussed the amethyst and its use in religious artifacts. We speak of amethyst. We also speak of something that is. The Jim Stone or material used more for religious artifacts than any other material. You'll find the ornamentations by your religious. Things are more amateurs than anything else you might say well. I could. Give you one of the stories that are given up about it and you can. Draw your own conclusions I'm an amateur status is a Greek word. And when you know the interpretation of what Amatus just means you might know by some of the gentleman working around the wineries and such. Warrant because the word

means. Not. Drunken. And it's not by the word being of those things that they you would not. Become. Drunk on. And now that's one of the ideas on that but it has been carried through. As ornamentation as well to bring the bishops rings the investiture rings. The Cardinals investor rings and. Those types of things and they religious ceremonies have Amethyst or use Amatus to buy the material that they. In conjunction with the religious. The Color Purple as you so often used in the religious right in a marriage and royalty considered with the purple and it has always it's also the same sort of story it worked out but it is the color of wine. And. There are other stories of the. Greek gods that put touch of the wine into the stones which carries on to the color of the couple as well.

That was Mr. Richard woods of Louisiana. Another visitor we talked with was there from California. He was there for the purpose of getting ideas for our future California state show. I'm Harold Watson from the Kashmir valley mineral and germ society of Hayward California. Our club has been granted by the. State California State Federation show in 1970 which will be given to the Alameda County Fair that is near the city of 11. Or about 12 miles from Hayward perhaps 20 miles from Oakland. It's across the bay from San Francisco. We're looking forward to it. You're getting a few ideas from this show that I can convey to. Show manager back there. How many people would you expect at a state. That's a hard question to answer. We have one difficulty that we are somewhat distant from residential accommodations but

usually in California people travel great distances to go to straight shows and many of them travel in their travel trailers or campers. As for numbers I don't know because I haven't been given figures like two to go by. I remember several Federation shows on the people who really go in another California if the show is Nancy Snyder a dealer who had oysters for sale. Each iced you're guaranteed to have it's own pearl inside. These are cultured pearls they are seeded in Japan. From clams that are ground up out of the Mississippi River and the Japanese feed the baby oysters. With these ground pieces of. Clams and. After they grow for about three years they treat her like substance around this little bit of ground lamb and there you. Are you say each one is guaranteed to have a current and how do you know that because they're seeded. If they were natural curls we couldn't

say that probably only one oyster in a thousand would have. Girl and it were a natural occurring. Girl. But every time I see it then it doesn't. Always produce a girl. Yes sometimes it even produces as many as six girls we get random I have as many as six little seed girls tiny little curls. And. Tell me what to name it. I'm Nancy Schneider from our California 968 Gem and Mineral Show at Normal Illinois covered everything of interest to the rock collector from oysters at the bottom of the ocean to a full scale model of NASA's lunar landing vehicle Surveyor which by digging up samples of the moon's rocky surface has already become the first rock hound on the moon. And judging from the number of people at the show and the rockhound population explosion rock hounding on the moon may be a necessary

reality in the not too distant future. Oh. This has been another in the series of programs exploring the world of the rock column. The narrator was lend full. This series is produced by the Save us of the public library of Nashville and Davidson County in Nashville Tennessee. Next week Mrs. folk will discuss the fascinating aspects of this hobby on a program entitled. The conflict and the challenge both science and religion. This is Charles Michel. This is NPR. The national educational radio network.