I'd like to extend a warm welcome to everyone who came to our 2009 show, and anyone planning to attend our 2010 show.  We are very proud of our show as it gives the Club a chance to share our enthusiasm for rocks and minerals, gems and jewelry, fossils and the earth sciences with everyone in the Conejo Valley community.

The Pageant of a Thousand Gems is a great opportunity to learn more about Conejo Gem and Mineral (CGM) Club activities and membership.  A staff member at the entrance Information Table will be happy to answer any question you might have, and can provide a club membership application form to anyone who would like to join the CGM.

We urge you to bring a friend or family member so everyone can enjoy the show and share with us in the pleasure of this fascinating pursuit.

SHOW CHAIRMAN REPORT

2010 Show April 24th, 25th, set up Friday 23rd: The show's going to be here before we know it, pick up flyers at the club meeting to hand out. Publicity is the most important thing and each member should hand out some flyers. Tell a friend, co worker, family. We’re going to need help with this years’ show. There are several positions open and in need of someone to take over. Sal Scarpato will be the Kitchen Chair, thanks Sal!! We will need a cook, cashier, and helper. We'll need a couple people to do the electrical. It’s time to start tumbling rocks for the show, the grab bags, and the youth room. Camille asks that you get started on plantings for the sale. Even if you are a new member any help you can give is appreciated, there is something for everyone to do to participate in our show. We’re going to need material for the silent auction, the gem jars. Here’s what’s left in our timeline:
Getting the Word Out: Today through April 25th Tell friends, family, co-workers, and people you don’t even know about the Show. Pick up Show flyers at our March meeting or call me to get some now, and begin posting them on public bulletin boards, leaving them on local business counters, giving them to acquaintances, and otherwise doing all you can to get folks to our show at Borchard Park. In addition to quarter-page flyers, we’ll have colorful posters that can be taped to a car window to create movable billboards.
Set-up: Friday, April 23rd (1pm – 10 PM) Please: everyone who is able, take a day or half-day off work on Friday to assist in set-up. It’s important that many share the work so it doesn’t fall on few shoulders. Some jobs are physically demanding, but most are not, and we need all the hands we can get. We need help setting up tables, adjusting tables and chairs, skirting tables, assembling display cases, arranging the plant sale area, youth room, kitchen, etc. We’ll circulate a sign-up sheet at March meeting. We’ll officially open the doors to dealers, demonstrators, and exhibitor set-up at 3pm, but we will be setting up the tables, and skirting at 1pm.
If you haven’t yet signed up to enter a display, please fill out an exhibitor form and mail it right away or call or email Nick Duncan (498-4185, nick.duncan@verizon.net) and/or fill out an exhibitor form at our March meeting. Since we have a limited number of club cases, it’s essential we get an accurate count of exhibitors, and we also need exhibitor info in advance to include in the Show program. You don’t need a huge collection to make an attractive display, so if you’ve never displayed before. We can help with ideas. (Some pointers on what to bring for setting up your case: liners or cloth, risers, masking tape, duct tape, your specimens, labels identifying your specimens, a name label so people will know whose display it is, and lots of enthusiasm—it’s contagious!) Then we’ll have our
Show dinner, between 6 and 7 PM. If you’d like to assist in preparing and serving, call Sal Scarpato, 818-707-9972. The club will provide the main course, bread, salad, and drinks.
Show Time! April 24-25 (9 AM – 5 PM Sat.; 10 AM – 4:30 PM Sun.) We’ll circulate Show job sign-up sheets at the March meeting, and we’re depending on volunteers to help upon arrival during the Show. See what hours are open at each station and help fill in where needed. Or pick an activity that most interests you, then call the committee chair today to offer your help.
We need help with:
• Hospitality. Welcome folks to the show, give them the Show Program and tell a bit about our club, invite give them a opportunity ticket, and tell them about our aspects of the show; sell T-shirts.
• Youth Room. Help Mitty Scarpato, 818-707-9972, run activities for kids: the spinning wheel, grab bag sales, sand sifting for prizes, , etc. We’ll also be distributing free rocks to teachers from the Kids Booth. This booth can become especially hectic, so we need at least 2-3 people running it at all times.
• Silent Auction. Open position, welcome help running our hourly silent auction. We’ll need people to announce the auction each hour, hand out prizes, set out new prizes and price them for minimum bids.
• Plant Sale. Call Camille Van Ast, 498-7421, to help sell plants and cuttings, another popular source of revenue for us.
• Security. Throughout the Show, we ask members to circulate among the crowd in orange security vests to present a visible presence. We also need volunteers to spend a night or two providing overnight security. It’s the cheapest hotel room in town!
Dismantling: Sunday, April 25th, 4:30 PM It not over till it’s over. So please don’t pack up your own goodies and run at Show’s end. We’ll need a lot of strong arms and backs to reverse what we did on Friday in order to pack everything and return it to our store room and Lapidary shop. To thank everyone, we’ll have a free dinner, once all is packed away and the final floor swept clean.
Robert Sankovich Show Chairman 2010 805-494-7737 rmsorca@adelphia.net