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Outdoor market a first for the Maple Ridge Lapidary Club

More than 30 vendors expected
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This year the Maple Ridge Lapidary Club was unable to host their annual Rock and Gem Show, and are holding an outdoor market instead. (Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS)

The Maple Ridge Lapidary Club is holding their first every one-day outdoor market.

More than 30 vendors will be at the event selling everything from rocks, gems, minerals, metaphysical supplies, jewellery, tools and books and everything to do with rocks and minerals.

“It’s not like our usual rock and gem show,” said Walt Pinder, past president of the club.

“So we won’t have all of the activities we do at our show but it’s going to involve most of the vendors from our show plus some brand new ones,” he explained.

The outdoor market was inspired by the need to recover from the pandemic, said Pinder.

“We’ve been two years without our rock and gem show. We were hoping to have one in February, but the new Albion Centre wasn’t ready. We postponed until April, but still they couldn’t guarantee it would be ready. So we did without a show this year,” he said referring to the new Albion Community Centre, a 20,000 square foot, multi-use community centre co-located with cusqunela elementary that is under the final stages of construction.

However, he said, they are looking forward to next February when they will be holding their usual rock and gem show at the new centre.

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Guests at the market can expect to see one or two demonstrations and there will also be a silent auction with items like: a driftwood carving of two dogs; ammolite; a B.C. jade block; a sterling silver handmade chain; a quartz crystal; a soapstone carving of an owl; polished Brazilian agate slice; a quartz crystal cluster; a broom cast sterling silver pendant necklace; and an agate geode with mining diorama.

The market takes place from 10-5 p.m. on June 18 at the Albion Fairgrounds, north of Lougheed Highway on Jim Robson Way.

Admission is by donation and parking is free.

For more information about the Maple Ridge Lapidary Club go to mapleridgelapidaryclub.com.


Have a story tip? Email: cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com
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Colleen Flanagan

About the Author: Colleen Flanagan

I got my start with Black Press Media in 2003 as a photojournalist.
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