Sac & Fox Lapidary Club to hold ‘Rocktoberfest’ show Oct. 22-23

FAIRFIELD — Fairfield’s Sac & Fox Lapidary Club will hold its annual “Rocktoberfest” gem, mineral and lapidary show on the weekend of Oct. 22-23.

The event will be at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Fairfield, with hours of operation on Saturday, Oct. 22 lasting from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no charge to attend.

Club member Dennis Kossow said the club has held its annual gem show at various places around town. It held it at the fairgrounds years ago, then experimented by holding it at Maasdam Barns, the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, and Creative Edge, before deciding that the fairgrounds was the place best suited for it.

This year’s show will feature nine dealers, mostly from Iowa but some from neighboring states such as Illinois.

“People can see jewelry, geodes, minerals and cutting materials they can fashion things out of,” Kossow said.

Kossow grew up in northern California, and his uncle was a “rock hound.”

“He planted the seed in me, which got me interested in it,” Kossow said. “I like to go up a crystal pocket and pull them out.”

Kossow explained that southeast Iowa is famous for its geodes. Within a 40-mile radius of Keokuk is a geologic formation known as the Warsaw Formation, which is responsible for producing a large number of geodes.

“Wherever the Warsaw is exposed, you’ll find geodes,” Kossow said. “The neat thing about them is that nobody really knows how they’re formed in this environment.”

Keokuk hosts Geode Fest every fall, and Kossow sells minerals at the show. He said people come from all over the country to dig for geodes in the area.

Kossow said some geodes are hollow and others are not, and some areas are known for producing hollow geodes. For instance, in the area around New London rich with geodes, about half are hollow.

Diamonds and precious gems are worth more if they are clear, lacking in impurities. Kossow said the ironic thing about geodes is that the impurities add to their beauty by giving them a bright color.

“Without an impurity, it might be colorless,” he said. “Iron can cause things to change color. It’s quite a scientific endeavor to figure out what minerals cause certain colors.”

Jefferson County Quarry, located between Fairfield and Libertyville, found some geodes in a recent dig after hitting the Warsaw Formation. Kossow said it came as a surprise to him and the other members of the group that the Warsaw Formation extended into Jefferson County. The company allowed the Sac & Fox Lapidary Club to visit the site and look for rocks.

“My hat is off to Terry and Crystal [Winn] for letting us come in and look, because not every quarry does that,” Kossow said.

For those seeking to dig up their own geodes, Kossow advises diggers to always get permission from the property owner before entering their land, and to treat it with respect. He said that, just like with mushroom hunting, people who know where geodes are might not want to divulge that knowledge with everyone.

“Make friends with someone who knows where all the geode places are,” Kossow joked. “In our club, we try to get three or four field trips in per year. We’ve gone to Missouri and Arkansas before.”

The Sac & Fox Lapidary Club got its name from the Native American tribe known as the Sac and Fox Tribe. It started meeting in Ottumwa in 1957. Over time, more and more of its members came from Fairfield to the point where the club relocated to Fairfield in 1996. Kossow said the purpose of the club is to educate the public about how to make jewelry, how to fashion things into pretty stones, and how to collect minerals.

Those interested in learning more about the club can email sacfoxlapidaryclub@gmail.com.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com