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[crazyjays]

Has anybody been to this show before or is thinking of going?

 March 2017

9-12—DEMING, NEW MEXICO: Annual show; Deming Gem & Mineral Society, Inc., SW New Mexico State Fairgrounds, Deming; 4100 Raymond Reed Blvd.; Thu. 9-5, Fri. 9-5, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-5; Free Admission; 52nd Annual Rockhound Roundup Gem & Mineral Show and sale. Guided field trips, silent auction, Friday nite, live auction Saturday nite, geode cutting, educational displays, fossil digging for kids, jewelry & rock related items, lapidary equipment, coffee, donuts, breakfast and lunch available. ; contact Cindy Jordan, P.O. Box 1459, Deming, NM 88031, (575)-694-3598; e-mail: deminggrama@yahoo.com; Web site: theDGMS.com

[socalagatehound]

I was a regular at this show some years back. I wrote a couple of articles for Rock and Gem reviewing the show and the field trips. Then my agate addiction took me in other directions. I thought about going back this year but its a full days drive from San Diego, so I might wait another year.

The field trips are usually excellent (or at least they were 10-15 years ago). I have not seen much of the Big Diggins agate collected on the field trips to the club's claim that matches what we got back in the day. And I don't know if Paul Colburn's passing caused any changes to the the access they used to have to the Baker Ranch thunderegg mine. That being said, the club has always done an excellent job lining up interesting trips and they are well run. They work very hard at it and the trips are inexpensive and popular.

The show itself was what I considered a better than average club show...lots of rockhounds in New Mexico...

Lots of showy, top notch local materials usually could be found at the vendor's booths.

Like I said...been a number of years, but I'll go back again.

If you go, be sure to visit the Deming Lunas Mimbres Museum and check out the Geode Kid's (Paul Colburn) lifetime thunderegg collection that is on display at the museum. It is a treat to behold...one of the best collections ever. I stopped in for a look on a Texas rockhounding trip just last year.

Hope that helps.  Go on at least a couple of the field trips.... I think you'll have a blast.

Craig

[peruano]

I second the recommendation for visits to the Luna County Miembres Museum.  Their website understates what they have in the way of rocks
and some will be confused with Paul Colburn's actual rock shop which is sort of a museum as well.  He gave a large part of his collection to the Museum in Demming and if you want to learn about agates (not just thundereggs) its worth a few hours.  They also have a few rocks on sale at modest prices (donations from other people I was told). 

The rock show in March is certainly a good opportunity to see lots of material and to meet up with both locals and regional hounds.  It certainly should present the greatest opportunity to get a bunch of the thunderegg and rhyolite material from the region.

[irockhound]

When I went to Texas for a rock trip a couple weeks back I stopped in Deming to go to the Red Roof Rock shop which is now closed and has become Trina's Rock shop a couple blocks away.  I asked about the large amount of Baker eggs they had up front and apparently the State told Paul's partner that they had to fill in the mine as it was unsafe left open pit.  All of the tailings were gone through as they used the tailings to fill the mine pit.  So it appears now there is no longer the ability to dig the dumps as Paul so graciously allowed for years and the pit is filled.  They did say some new material was uncovered during the filling process but that was all I found out.