A Note from your President, Steve Hart

June 2009

 

We had another great meeting on June 16^th.  It was our first anniversary as a rock club and we celebrated with some excellent Birthday Cake!  As your President these past 12 months, I want to express my deepest thanks to all of you who have worked so hard at building our organization.  It has, indeed, been very hard work, and it has taken a lot of money, but we’re beginning to get that “polished” look, and people from all over Northern California have taken notice of those “new folks” up in Oroville, who are beginning to shine.  Thank you one and all.

 

We also discussed how a former member has complained to the Park District that we don’t allow the general public to use our machines and therefore we are not a “public” organization.  We responded to these charges by writing a policy which allows the general public to purchase a “Shop Orientation” course from the Park District and then pay for their Shop time by the hour.  I don’t agree with the complaint, but it is a sign of the times we are in, where it is easier to appease the opposition than to do the right thing.  It is challenges like these that tend to make our organization strong.  I say, “Bring on the Wheaties!”

 

On a brighter note, we’re now in the business of selling custom club T-Shirts.  We took 12 orders at the meeting and several more since.  It’s easy to order, and we now have trained people to assist you whenever the Shop is open…pricing is $20 to $24 (we pay taxes).  Our club will make $5.00 per shirt, so everyone wins!

 

I would like to thank Tom Munson and his Wife, Judy, for giving an excellent presentation at the meeting on sandcarving.  Tom is a wonderful artist and the pieces he brought to show us were breathtaking.  As a result of his introduction to sculpting soapstone, we have changed our July Field Trip into a soapstone expedition.  We hope to persuade Tom and Judy to join us on that trip so we can learn even more.

 

We had another educational event with “What do you know?” at the meeting.  This month, the reward was a beautiful pair of free faceted blue-Peridot stones suitable for earrings--similar stones were found on Mars!  Many of you guessed, but the person with the most information about the stones was our own Junior Member, David Alpern.  Please give him a pat on the back when you next see him!  And keep reviewing your gem identification books so you will be able to compete next time.

 

I certainly hope you came out with us for the June 20^th Field Trip to Babcock Peak and the wonderful Rose Quartz hunting.  Near as I can tell, all 19 of you successfully made it up the trail to the site, and came back with lots of the gorgeous rock.  You can tumble or slab this highly fractured quartz--it takes a very high polish and the cabochon pendants we make from it look like shiny candy.  The group also stopped and visited the Taylorsville Museum, which has a great display of polished rocks and jewelry.

 

Our second Field Trip for June involves traveling to Los Molinos on 6/27 to visit the storage yard of a company that wholesales their stones to artists and dealers all over America.  They have decided to reduce their stockpiles of rocks & used equipment and have invited the Oroville Club to help them do so.  We, in turn, invited the Paradise Club to join us, so we are anticipating a great weekend with our friends.  Even if you don’t want to purchase any rocks, you’re welcome to join us just to see their fantastic inventory of goodies.

 

Judy and Gary Gooch are returning to Butte County to teach their Fused Dichroic Glass classes--on Friday and Saturday, they are teaching for Paradise, and on Sunday and Monday (6/28-6/29) they will be teaching classes for us.  I hope you signed up for one or more of these classes, because you get to make up 8 pendants which sell for $20 to $40 each.  How can you lose?

 

We are in need of an electrician or handyman to refurbish our recently-acquired Foredom flexible shaft hand grinder.  I estimate it will take about 3-4 hours to recondition this baby with a new electrical cord, rust removal and lubrication of the shaft.  Could I get just ONE person to help us?  Please call me at 589-3899 and I will show you what we need done before we hang it in the Shop for all to use.

 

We are also training new Duty Supervisors to get the Shop open more sessions each week.  If you have joined the club but haven’t yet completed your Shop orientation, see David Cossey and we will get you into a training class right away.  If you have completed the orientation, we’d like you to consider volunteering to become a Duty Supervisor for 3 hours each week--12 hours a month (preferably on the same day at the same time)--or maybe volunteer to work alternate weeks with a friend and cut your time to 6 hours per month.  If you volunteer, you are not obligated to do it forever--just keep us posted with your status--some may only be able to work summers--others, only in the winter.  Just remember, our Shop can only be open to serve you if our Members are willing to volunteer to help us supervise the fun.  Right now, we are open on Fridays from 9 AM to 12 Noon, and from 6 PM to 9 PM Friday evenings.  People are having so much fun in these sessions.  What an opportunity you will have to spend quality time with quality people on a regular basis.  You will build friendships that will last forever.

 

I hope to see you all at the July 21^st meeting--the meeting starts at 6:30 PM, but come early to order your T-Shirt!  Also, stop by our Shop table--we want to know what days & times you would be able to use the Shop.

 

Finally, we want to welcome August Lincoln to our Board of Directors, who will be taking over the Treasurer’s position as of June 30th.  Welcome aboard, August!  And may all of our “beans” be properly counted and wisely used…

 

Sincerely,

 

Steve Hart

June 26, 2009

 

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