The next meeting of the Willowdale Gem and Mineral Club will be held at the Armour Heights Community Centre, 2140 Avenue Rd., on Friday, January 13th, commencing at 7:45 PM.
The guest speaker for the January meeting will Mr. Frank Ruehlicke, who will share his experiences attending the 1st International Mindat.org Conference held in Poland this past summer and hopefully convince you that mixing travel, minerals and beer is a delightful pastime. The picture ton the right is of the town of Lwowek, Slaski, Poland where the first Mindat.org conference took place. The photo is s by Katarina Davydenko.
Frank has been collecting minerals off and on since childhood and now focuses primarily on microminerals. Favorite minerals include pyrite, native copper, and minerals from oxidization zones. Favorite localities include Lavrion Greece and Michigan’s Copper Country. Frank has held executive positions with the Kitchener Waterloo Gem and Mineral Club and is currently the treasurer of the Canadian Micro Mineral Association.
The little medieval town of Lwówek Ślaski (population about 10,300) in southwestern Poland has, for the past fourteen years, hosted an outdoor gem and mineral show, the largest in Poland, attracting throngs of visitors. Called the Crystal Days Festival, it overflows with merriment, minerals, and
Collecting at the agate hole in Lubin, Jeff Scovil photo
music, and what can only be described as a carnival atmosphere. The town fathers were enthusiastic and most cooperative when Tomasz Praskier of the Spirifer Geological Society suggested that Mindat hold its first conference there simultaneously. Source: Rocks and Minerals, July 17, 2011.
