Show Responsibilities

KGMS members make the annual Kalamazoo Rock and Mineral Show possible. Participating in the KGMS show is rewarding, a lot of work and a whole lot of fun! Volunteer to help with one of the many KGMS Show activities.

Marketing of the Show is a year round activity. It takes all the KGMS membership to get the word out on the Show. Please consider being part of the Marketing Committee or becoming a leader for one of the Marketing tasks. Join by contacting the Show Chair  or come to a Marketing Committee meeting.

​

Show Operations – Show setup starts on Thursday at 10:00 am, all KGMS members that are able need to show up at the Expo Center to help. On Friday, at 9:00 am, is when school kids will start visiting the show.

​

Consider becoming one of the leaders for an Operational task or asking an Operational Lead about how you can help. Leads are responsible for finding members to work their assigned area/booth. Sign Up sheets for the various KGMS maned booths are usually available at the March and April general meetings. Show Operation Leads are announced via e-mail a few months before the Show.

​

​

Other ways to contribute the KGMS Show:

Donate material for the specimen table, petoskey stone polishing, game prizes, door prizes, etc. Usually, it is possible to drop off the donation to the appropriate area after noon on “setup” day. Otherwise talk with the leader of the area prior to the show to arrange the donation.

​

​

Display Cases
One very important part of our show is our display case venue. In this area Club members, like you, and KGMS guests show off and share portions of their collections. Forms will be available at Club meetings prior to the show to reserve your spots, forms are also available on the KGMS website. The Club has some cases for use by our members. So reserve your spot early to ensure your spot. Don’t be shy, if you think you have some cool stuff, others will think it is cool too. You can follow the show theme or create your own. It is suggested that each of the specimens you display are labeled. Please contact Dave Haas with any questions.
 

Donations to Club
Each year the Club solicits donations from area businesses and the public. The Club has a letter prepared that you can present to potential donors explaining who the Club is, what our mission is, and how we would use the donated funds. These letters are available at all of our regular meetings. KGMS is an educational not for profit organization, so donations are tax deductible. Please get out and solicit donations – ask at your favorite restaurants, family, friends, employer, …

​

​

Silent Auction
This is a very popular area with our patrons. Periodically during the show we will have auctions where our members and guests can bid on really cool specimens, lapidary items, equipment, … This is an opportunity for members to sell items they have acquired. Maybe you are running out of storage space and need to create space for what you will be collecting on upcoming trips. How it works – bring in items you wish to sell or donate to the show (it is helpful if you bring items in on Thursday (set up day)), complete a bid form, and set the minimum price that you think it is worth. For items in the Silent Auction we ask that items have a minimum value of $2. When it sells you receive 80% of the selling price and the Club retains the other 20%. The Club asks that each member donate at least two (2) items to the Silent Auction. You can try to sell as many as you want. Note: the color of the bid sheet determines if it is 100% donation or not. Check with the Silent Auction Leader to ensure you have the correct colored bid sheet.

​

​

Game Prizes
Kids are a big part of our show. Our game area is very popular, particularly during Kid’s Day. Each year we give out thousands of prizes. Where do these prizes come from? The prizes are generally donated to the Club from members. Each prize is bagged and labeled. So if you have smaller specimens that could be used as game prizes, please let us know and we can get specimen bags to you.

​

​

Door Prizes
Periodically during the show we have door prize drawings for our patrons, both adult and kids. We are always looking for donations. If you have specimens, books, crafts or nick-nacks, that would make a nice door prize, please bring them to the show.

​

​

Specimen Table
Most of the material at the Specimen Table sells for 25 to 50 cents, but we have $1 and $2 corners. All of the material is donated by Club members. So if you have clean material, please bring it in.

​

​

Participate in the Summer Work-bee, held in July or August
What is a Work Bee, some of you may ask? This is where we prepare things for the show, such as Egg Carton Collections, Mine Bags, Game Prizes, etc.This usually consists of working for a few hours, and then we have a potluck lunch. No experience needed. A message(s) will be sent out when the dates are set.