The 52nd Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Show

I finished the last new style bracelet and now it was time for the show.  Loading up the truck we left Fulton at six am and met the other club members at the storage space. There we helped to load the display cases before the drive to Robstown and the County Fairgrounds.

There were a lot of volunteers this year and so the setup went fast. Renita and Pam arrived in Pam’s car and we all worked to get our booth ready. Last year the show had been down in attendance and so we all hoped that the oil boom would increase the number of attendees and the amount people spent.

The next morning the doors opened at ten am and a steady stream of folks browsed our pieces. We chanted our usual mantra, that all of the lapidary and wire wrapping was done by us and that everything was made in the USA, mostly Texas and Wyoming.

Finally a person bought a few of the rock slabs and then another purchased a pendant. Now that we had some money I could go over to our friend Dick’s booth and buy some of his cabs. The crowd stayed steady and by the end of the day we had already had a record day in sales

We weren’t the only ones having a good show as the club also set a record for the number of tickets sold. There is nothing like an oil boom to let the good times roll and they were rolling here. Our friend Dick stopped to show us the rock slabs her purchased, (he is going to be ninety in May), and so I also had to run and purchase some of the good tiger iron.

Sunday morning the crowd slowed down and we were both able to stroll around ourselves. One of our first stops was to admire our friend Cecil’s booth filled with his knapped flint knives. Allison’s booth was another must stop to admire her beautiful creations. A new stop was at Russell’s mineral identification booth and now I want a refract meter!

The display cases were an education by themselves. There members display a case with examples of their collections, along with explanations of the rock or fossil locations and types. Our friend Mark had a beautiful display of his newly acquired rock carvings, along with some of his agate collection.

The show finally ended and it was time to tear down. Returning home we packed things away as we have no more shows till we get back to Wyoming. We are lucky in that we don’t have to do shows all the time as many venders do. While what we do is a business it’s also a labor of love and that’s the way we hope to keep it. It makes the whole thing fun and we certainly had fun at the Gulf Coast’s Gem and Mineral Show. Clear skies.