Sean C. Morgan
Fossils were the theme, but rainbows were the winners at the 63rd Annual Rock and Gem Show held over the weekend.
The People’s Choice Award went to Ken White of Lebanon for his display of rainbow obsidian from Mexico. Cathee Bethel of Lebanon received second place for rocks arranged in a double rainbow. Third place went to John Buford of Lebanon for a display of arrowheads.
The winners were selected by visitors to the show.
Rainbows were the stars, but impressively large fossils also attracted close attention from the crowd.
Bob Rose and show Chairman Joe Cota displayed several large ammonite and trilobite fossils
As she looked up from a giant ammonite fossil, Cynthia Wooley held out her necklace, a small ammonite dangling from it.
“This old thing, it’s 120 million years old,” she said.
She and her husband, Keith Wooley, were busy telling a friend about the fossils.
“We came down both days to hang out and learn more every time,” Wooley said.
Both are amateur rock hounds, Keith Wooley said. “We’ve got lots of rocks – tons of them.”
Organizers were impressed by the turnout, which was up from last year. Mona Waibel reported 2,663 visitors this year, up from about 2,500 last year.
“We had more, so I was really pleased,” Waibel said.
“I was afraid the fire marshal was going to come in and shut us down,” joked Louise Crittendon, who was taking admission at the door.
“People appreciate something they can come to that doesn’t cost them much,” Waibel said.
“It’s been great, and people are buying,” said Cota, who runs a rock shop in Lebanon.
Attendance wasn’t the only thing doing well, Waibel said. The Rock and Gem Club, which runs the event, has grown to 90 members.
The club is growing again, she said, and people were signing up all weekend.
A number of clubs around the state have been shutting down, Waibel said, so the club is drawing interest from places as far away as Tigard and Redmond.
Anyone interested in joining the club can contact Waibel at (541) 367-3803 or Della White at (541) 259-1529.