KALISPELL — You don't have to go very far to know that Northwest Montana is home to many beautiful rocks, which is why rock enthusiasts and vendors gathered at the Flathead County Fairgrounds to show just how versatile these stones are.
From sculptures to jewelry and much more the the Gold, Gem, and Mineral Show featured a display of the beauty and functionality of what lies on the ground in Montana.
The goal of the show is to educate people on the many things rocks can be used for and to create more rock enthusiasts like Lloyd Fager from the Northwest Montana Rock Chucks who helped put on the event.
“What gets people interested in rocks in the first place is often a trip out to some place where they find a rock and they can't put it down,” Fager said. “Sometimes they'll find somebody that knows what it is and it's the way it starts. I started when I was five years old picking up little quartz crystals in the pea gravel by the side of the road.”
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Another piece that gets kids excited is the display of the Northwest Montana Gold Prospectors who let kids pan for gold and learn about its many uses.
The organization’s co-chair Sandy Randall says getting their hands dirty often sparks a love for finding gold.
"Kids eat it up they love it they love to look at that gold, find out how much gold is worth, how to and for it they love it,” Randall said. “We've seen them come up to the claim afterwards."
Randall says everyone should learn about gold because its importance is greater than we might think.
“It's in electronics it's in our everyday lives you can't get away from it,” Randall said. “Not only is it a beautiful metal but it's also a a metal that is very valuable and what it can do for the country as well.”
Additional information about Northwest Montana Rock Chucks and the Northwest Montana Gold Prospectors can be found here and here.
