What's Happening in Davenport, IA…

The Black Hawk Gem and Mineral Club held its yearly show in Davenport on Halloween weekend.

The two-day event, which ran for eight hours on the Saturday and five and a half on the Sunday at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, drew about 100 attendees, despite the rainy weather. The gem show has been held for over 60 years.

Attendees were able to visit vendors who brought minerals, agates, tumbled stones, beads, spheres, silver and beaded jewelry, carved stones, fossils, and other stones. Experts demonstrated the technique of flint knapping, and youngsters learned how to crack geodes and make arrowheads.

The gem club's president, Craig Moore, said the show has no target group, as gemstones appeal to everyone. He added he believed there were many reasons why the show has been popular for such a long time. The main one was that most people like to collect things, and gems and minerals are interesting, small enough to be easy to handle, and tell a story. Other people are interested in rocks and gems because of their interest in New Age artifacts, while still others like them simply because of their natural beauty.

Attendees too had different reasons for liking the material. One college instructor came to find additions to his geology labs, while a Peoria resident claimed to have found cleansing energy in the rocks and crystals.

Show organizers could build on their continuing success by having a flyer printing company make up a mailer for area residents, asking them to look for the show again next year.