Opening ceremony for the 61st Rockhound Gemboree

By Michael Riley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Bancroft's Rockhound Gemboree had its opening ceremony on July 30 at 9:30 a.m. at the North Hastings Community Centre. The 61st annual Gemboree took place at the NHCC and the Bancroft Curling Club. Dozens of folks waited patiently to get into the venue as dignitaries including Mayor Paul Jenkins, Deputy Mayor Wayne Wiggins, Councillor George Eastman, Councillor Tracy McGibbon, Councillor Charles Mullett, and Councillor Kevin Lawrence. Trevor Minnie from the Kijicho Manito Madaouskarini Algonquin First Nation, and Mary Kavanaugh on behalf of MP Shelby Kramp Neuman, Chris Fouts on behalf of the Central Canadian Federation of Mineralogical Societies, and Mike Daly with the Bancroft and District Chamber of Commerce, all said a few words to open the show. The Bancroft Times will have more coverage and photos in their Aug. 12 edition. 

Celebrating our area's rich mining and prospecting history, the Bancroft Rockhound Gemboree began in a farmer's field back in 1964. Coinciding with the closure of the Faraday mine that year, the Gemboree has mushroomed in popularity in the ensuring decades, becoming a top 100 festival in Ontario according to Festivals and Events Ontario, and Canada's largest gem and mineral show. It now attracts vendors and attendees from around the globe, and Bancroft Mayor Paul Jenkins has referred to the show as a “cherished tradition” that provides folks “an amazing showcase of geological wonders, engaging exhibits and family friendly activities that highlight the rich geological heritage of our region.”

Andra Kauffeldt, the general manager with the Town of Bancroft, welcomed everyone and said she was so glad to see them there at the 61st annual Rockhound Gemboree.  She then introduced Jenkins, who said the Land Acknowledgement and that on behalf of staff and council, he welcomed all attendees from far and wide to the 61st annual Gemboree. He said it was the fifth year the town had organized it, that it was the largest gem and mineral show in Canada and a Top 100 festival for many years running. 

“I'd like to acknowledge my fellow council members who are here today who are nearing the end of a four-year term. I'd like to thank them for their years of services and good luck to any of them who are running again. I'd also like to acknowledge all the hard work and organization that goes into putting this together. So all of our staff who do a fantastic job every year and it wouldn't be a show without our vendors. And of course, it wouldn't be a show without our patrons. So, thank you to everybody and I wish everybody a very successful and entertaining show,” he says. 

Kavanaugh next spoke on behalf of Kramp Neuman, extending the latter's warmest congratulations on the 61st annual Rockhound Gemboree kickoff celebration. 

“More than six decades after it began, this incredible event continues to bring out rich natural history to life, spark curiosity and inspire new generations of collectors, outdoor enthusiasts and curious minds. Thank you to the dedicated organizers, vendors, and volunteers, whose hard work makes this beloved tradition possible year after year. Wishing everyone a fantastic, discovery filled weekend,” she says. 

Kauffeldt acknowledged the presence of Minnie, and said that the Algonquin land is the land they hold the Gemboree on and they were grateful to have the opportunity to do so. 

“And showcase the beauty that this land holds in some cases on top of but most cases, just below the surface. So, we hope you all find something to explore and admire about this beautiful territory today while you're here,” she says. 

Fouts spoke next, telling folks a little about the Central Canadian Federation of Mineralogical Societies. 

“We represent the mineral clubs, the hobbyists throughout Ontario, out east, Quebec and into Manitoba as well. What that means is we provide assistance and advice for them. It's a volunteer-run organization but we organize insurance coverage as well, and notes on safety and organization for running field trips, connecting with private landowners when needed, or operating quarries to keep the hobby effective and ongoing. We all face challenges these days with changing insurance and policies of land and we face challenges today too with mineral clubs shows. There are constant new shows coming on, there's a lot of private shows being started and being run across Canada. And this is wonderful for promoting the hobby in one way but it makes it a challenge for each show to bring in enough revenue to keep it healthy and to keep the clubs going. And so thanks very much that the town does a wonderful job with the Gemboree. As a non-profit organization it supports the hobby to a great deal. And we hope to see that the clubs continue to be supported so that the hobby stays alive and we can all enjoy these outdoor activities. If anybody has any questions at any time about mineral collecting; the hobby, the policies, please contact me or any of our directors. A couple of them are here today as vendors at the show. So, we look forward to a great show and we thank the town for the hard work and keeping this all together,” he says. 

Daly spoke to the crowd last, saying that on behalf of the BDCC, he wanted to thank everybody for being there and it was an honour to represent local businesses and the community and making this town and the region the way it is. 

“The Rockhound Gemboree brings our community together, welcomes visitors from near and far, and shows off everything that makes Bancroft and this area so special. On behalf of the members, congratulations on another good year of the Gemboree and have a great weekend,” he says. 

Kauffeldt then spoke a little about what they'd been working on for this year's show. 

“You'll notice we have new signage to clarify where parking goes and where people go. We've cleaned up Rocky [the Gemboree mascot], so he's also on all the signage so people clearly know where they're going and what the event is. We've added some merchandise this year, so we do have Rockhound Gemboree T-shirts. They are available at the curling club along with other souvenirs like hats, cups, pins, and stickers. There's a bunch of different things, so if you're on the lookout for some Rockhound Gemboree souvenirs, the curling club is the place to go this year. 

This year we've also made some investments in tents in picnic tables over the past couple of years to ensure our guest have comfortable seating and a comforting welcoming experience here. The shuttle bus was added a couple of years ago and they'll be here at 10 a.m. to bring people back and forth between venues all day long so they can maximize the show. We also made improvements to advertising and promotion, with an extensive radio campaign across the province. We also make improvements for our vendors each year, including improving the quality of the sawhorses/tables each year. We do 25 new sets a year so we're approaching 200 sets of sawhorses/tables to ensure our vendors have a good experience. I also want to thank the province of Ontario for the $20,000 in grant funding this year to help with some of these improvements and to help offset some of the costs through the Experience Ontario program. I also want to thank Rona for supplying the lumber for all the tables and a truck and forklift to move the tables in, and they've been so supportive of the show,” she says. 

At that point, the ribbon cutting was done to officially open the show, with Mullett, the longest serving Bancroft councillor (as well as having served as mayor and Hastings County warden through the years) cutting the ribbon, to open up this year's Gemboree. 

Nancy was the first in line for the show, and had driven all the way from Pennsylvania, a seven-hour drive, to be here for the Gemboree.

“It's my first time coming up here for the show. I've been into gems and minerals for quite a few years. I live on the east coast, so the shows that I've been to, they seem to get a little the same. So I saw this on social media about a year ago, and made plans to come up here and check it out. I love it up here. It's been many, many moons since I've been up here in Canada. I know there's quite a few people coming up here from the States. I'm excited to try a whole new arena, no pun intended, of gems and minerals up here. And everybody's so nice and friendly, it's just very nice. I'm looking forward to seeing what Canada's minerals have to offer, but just whatever catches my eye,” she says.

John Montgomery and Alex Hamilton volunteer and work at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa in the minerology department and say they've been here many times. 

“Yeah, I used to come here way back and camp along the York River for the whole weekend. Back when I could withstand the entire weekend,” Alex says. 

“We have a friend at the Bancroft Museum that's got a collection of Titanite crystals that I'm very interested in looking at. So, we'll be looking at various minerals here [at the Gemboree]. We know several of the dealers here. I'm looking for a few particular dealers this year to see what they've found this year. We're just here for the day. It's a short trip this time. We have to cram everything into the day instead of the whole weekend,” John says. 

Brian, Lan and Mooshin were there for the first time at the Gemboree this year. 

“My son really loves gems,” Lan says, “so we travelled here and planned to go to the show to try to find something he likes, and yesterday we went to the museum, which was awesome, and tomorrow we'll be digging for some minerals ourselves.” 

Mayor Paul Jenkins told The Bancroft Times that the opening ceremony was great.

“There were informative comments from our guests and staff that highlight the importance and amount of work that goes into staging the event. As usual, the quality of the vendors is top notch and this is a must stop on their season of shows,” he says.

Kauffeldt told The Bancroft Times that the opening ceremony went really well and she was gratified to see so many people waiting to get in. 

“I think we had lots of great representation from all levels of government in the community and we're thrilled to welcome everyone to the 61st Jamboree!”