Brown County Rock & Mineral Show

September 21 & 22, 2024

~by Rhonda Dunn(courtesy photos)

As you navigate the back roads of Brown County you may see driveways and flowerbeds in people’s yards lined with unusual looking rocks. Folks find them along creek beds, by plowed fields, and in rock ledges. These unusual rocks are called geodes. They have a bumpy surface and if broken open many have beautiful crystals inside. If you have ever taken one home, then you were made into a rock collector. Children like to pick rocks up, and the interest can start at a very young age. This can develop into a passion for accumulating attractive rocks for the yard or knickknack shelves. Brown County is a great place for this type of hobby.

That was why a rock and mineral club was started here. Members aren’t just from Brown County, though, and they have a variety of interests. Some are fossil collectors, some polish rocks and make jewelry, and some collect geodes. The club holds field trips throughout the summer visiting other places. In June the club partners with the Brown County State Park to put on a Rockfest for children.

Once a year the Brown County Rock and Mineral Club has a show at the end of summer. People come from all around to sell, swap, admire, and buy the next specimen that they need for their collection. You can also find items that have something to do with rocks, like jewelry, and watch as some pieces are being made. Geodes are cracked open to display the beautiful crystals inside. Experts on site can help identify mystery rocks or fossils. Children can play in the sand to see what mystery fossil they can pull out.

You can even learn to pan for gold with experienced gold-panners. Clarence Snyder and Jestin Kimmet love to teach children and have been doing it for years. They put on demonstrations for boys and girls clubs, Scouts, and schools. They both belong to the Southern Indiana Gold Prospecting group. They meet monthly at the Gatesville Country Store and pan in the creek in back of the store. Robin Stephens, the store owner, has been their host for many years.

Back around 2008, a few of the gold-panners got together and decided they wanted to have a rock club in addition to the gold club. Don Crum and Clarence Snyder set up the first meeting at the Gatesville store. Many of the gold-panners didn’t know whether they would be interested in another club just for rock collecting, and then discovered they like to do both. And the club grew. After a few years they decided the store wasn’t big enough for their meetings, and they moved them to Nashville for a bigger more centralized location.

They now meet at the Brown County History Center, near the courthouse downtown, on the third Saturday of every month. The membership now numbers about 68.

The Brown County Rock and Mineral Show occurs in September (usually the third or fourth weekend) at the Brown County 4-H Fairgrounds, east of downtown Nashville. This year it will be held Saturday, September 21, and Sunday, September 22. Saturday’s hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday’s hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit the website: www.browncorockandmineral.com or email: bcrmc2010@gmail.com .