Put September 6 – 8, 2024 on your calendar for one of Indiana’s largest and best Gem, Mineral and Fossil Shows. The 500 Earth Sciences Club is gearing up to host their 47th annual show out at the Hancock County Fairgrounds, located at 620 N. Apple St., Greenfield, IN. This show will run from 10am – 6pm on Friday and Saturday, and from 10 am – 4pm on Sunday. This show will be in three buildings at the fairgrounds AND the outside covered pavilion. There is literally something for everyone! Best of all there is free admission, free parking and great food available on site.
The 500 Earth Sciences Show has been coming to the Hancock County Fairgrounds for over 45 years. They not only have beautiful specimens of minerals such as quartz and amethyst that can be displayed, but they also have a variety of fossils, and a wide selection of jewelry.
Now – – if you want to find some beautiful opals that have been dug out of the ground from Australia – – and you want to buy them from the guy that did the digging – – You can do that here! You will also find beautiful pieces of larimar, jade, amethyst, topaz, sapphires, garnets and other semiprecious stones. Yes – – you can find diamonds there. But you can also find many “pretty rocks” that you might not even know about. Some are as basic as a piece of flintstone that has been polished to a beautiful gleam so you can see the varied colors and striations. You might also find a piece of Jasper, Agate, Obsidian or a Herkimer Diamond (which is quartz). They will also have a few pearls. Many of these stones may be loose cabochons that you can have mounted, or some will do wire wrapping while you are waiting. There is also already mounted jewelry in a wide variety of designs and shapes.
Have you ever heard of “Fordite.” I hadn’t either – – but it is something that you will run across at this show. It is an unusual piece that is made from the layers of car paint found in car manufacturing plants. These chunks of paint are removed from the paint bays and broken into smaller pieces and then polished like a stone and set into jewelry. As each different color was used on the cars – – these created beautiful layers with a multitude of colors. While these are not technically “rocks” – you will find Fordite at this show. You will also find things like a variety of glass beads, dichroic glass, and goldstone, blue goldstone and lindy stars – – which are synthetically made.
You will also find rocks that fluoresce under a black lite – fluorite, calcite, aragonite, sodalite and others. You can buy your own UV flashlight there and shine this light on those rocks to watch them glow!
A variety of really cool minerals and rocks will also be available. A Barite Rose is a rock that looks like a rose flower. Tellurite or TV rock can magnify things that are placed underneath it. Then there are wonderful geodes – – many that can be cracked there on site by trained professionals. Geodes are usually hollow and contain beautiful quartz crystals inside.
Are fossils your thing? Well this show has a bunch of those too. There are large fossils of cephalopods and crinoids. You also might find someone with a collection of fossilized shark teeth or maybe even some coprolite (fossilized dino poo). You will also find petrified wood, and pieces of amber – some with insects trapped inside.
Ongoing throughout the day there will be demonstrations of silver smithing and lapidary (cutting facets into gemstones). Do you have a rock and don’t know what it is? A geologist will be on hand to help identify it.
There is a silent auction, door prizes, and a kids activity area. Yes – – there is an educational component to this – and the kids can get some hands on activities with some really cool pieces. They also can get to see all of the wonderful activities that are going on inside the three buildings and the outside covered space.
This show only comes to Greenfield once a year – – so be sure to take the time to visit. Hancock County Tourism is a proud grant supporter of this annual show. This event brings vendors literally from around the country – and the world to Hancock County as well as hundreds of out-of-county visitors. The 500 Earth Sciences Club is a proud Hancock County Tourism Partner.
You can find out more about the 500 Earth Sciences Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show by going to their website: www.500earthsciences.org or you can follow them on their Facebook Page.
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Hancock County Tourism and Visitor Center is the official destination marketing organization for Hancock County, Indiana. Our mission is to bring regional, national, and international business and leisure visitors to Hancock County for the economic benefit of the county and our tourism partners. Hancock County Tourism and Visitor Center strives to be a leader in destination marketing and tourism development.
- To encourage visitors to discover the historic, cultural, and recreational opportunities as well as hotels, restaurants, and retail options throughout Hancock County via marketing promotion and partner support.
- To encourage groups, businesses, and organizations to hold meetings, conventions, events, and festivals in Hancock County by collaborating with both in county and out-of-county groups, businesses, and organizations.
- To assist groups with development of new tourism opportunities through support, resources, and professional assistance.
The Hancock County Tourism and Visitor Center does not primarily organize meetings, conventions, sporting, and special events, but guides planners, and visitors to resources, attractions and services that result in a positive experience.
To stay up to date on everything “touristy” in Hancock County, be sure you are receiving Hancock County Tourism’s e-newsletter. You can register on the website at https://visitinhancock.org/email/