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Nebraska
Mineral & Gem Club History In 1976, the club hosted the state show, it
had nine dealers, four special demonstrations and the members themselves
operated such things as the lost was casting, faceting, sheet work in silver,
rock polishing with other creative ideas. The club also had such things as
hourly door prizes, the Rock Pile which over the last couple of years has
boasted some fine obsidian and Lake Superior Agates and even Black Jade. The
show also has movies and over 125 displays covering every aspect in the field
of lapidary, and earth science. The club membership at present is 182 adults
plus junior members. The club's monthly meetings are held on the third
Wednesday of each month, having a program devoted to such things as agate
hunting and it's history, core drilling in Antarctica, archaeological work in
Nebraska, etc. These programs were put on by the University and historical
Society. We have annual field trips, potluck dinner, rock auctions, and the
April banquet is our social event of the year. The club's profits have been and are
presently being funneled toward four scholarships a year for the Geology
students of the University of Nebraska and to the Omaha Recreation and Crafts
Center for use in purchasing equipment for classes and also for other civic
projects to better educate the younger people. Three displays are to be given
to the Omaha PUblic Schools along with several magazine subscriptions for the
OMaha Library's use. The members have five area dealers with some giving
individual or group classes in lapidary work, jewelry design, casting, sheet,
wire and rock polishing. After many years of meeting at the First
Federal LIncoln's Homestead Center, it was necessary in 1977 to make a change
and we are now meeting at the new Pipal Park Community Center at Westgate
School. |