GENTRY — Dean and Ruby Shafer of Gentry were honored earlier this year with the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies' Rockhound of the Year Award for 2015. The couple was nominated for the award through the Northwest Arkansas Gem & Mineral Society in Siloam Springs and the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies (the district in which the northwest Arkansas club holds membership).
The Shafers own and operate Arkhoma Hobbies & Lapidary, located on Main Street in Gentry. They are also founding members of the Northwest Arkansas Gem & Mineral Society, with club headquarters in Siloam Springs.
According to the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies newsletter, the Shafers are the "only remaining original club members" of the Northwest Arkansas organization. "They helped start the club in 1968 and have been very active ever since. Dean has served in most of the leadership positions, including president and board of directors. Dean has also served the Rocky Mountain Federation as Stamp Chair for many years. Ruby has been very active in the club and can be counted on to be working at every rock show. Dean is the club's 'go-to' member when a rock needs to be identified. He is very fond of field trips and either leads or goes on most of them."
"My wife, Ruby, and I would like to express our humble gratitude to all of those who thought us worthy of the honor of receiving the 2015 Rockhounds of the Year award," Dean wrote on the local club's website.
The Shafers' shop on Main Street contains a wide variety of collectible items but has a wide variety of rocks and cut and polished stones on display, making it an excellent place to visit to see what can be found across the region and how the rocks and minerals can be cut, polished and displayed. Dean's explanations can make a visit there a true educational experience.
Local Gem & Mineral Show
The Northwest Arkansas Gem & Mineral Society is getting ready for its 2016 Spring Show, to be held April 9-10. The "show will feature a wide range of rocks, minerals, gems, demonstrations, handcrafted jewelry, fossils, dealers and supplies, with exhibits, demonstrations, door prizes and a kid's corner," according to the club's website. "Whether you're looking for a bargain or just interested to see what lapidaries are doing, you can be sure of a warm welcome," the site states.
According to the club's website, "there will be dealers from whom you can purchase rocks, minerals, fossils and many other things. Our great flintknapping guys will also be on hand to demonstrate the ancient skill of arrowhead making.
"There will be demonstrations of recent technology used in the world of mineralogy and paleontology. An exhibit of the technology of our super web page will also be on hand and questions answered by Ken about the technical aspects of the photography used on the website. As usual, we will have our silent auction with a nice group of material to bid on. Along with this, we will have our hourly drawing for nice door prizes. The ultraviolet black light will also be back.
"New this year, and really great, will be a special attraction to be presented by two young rock hounds, ages 11 and 12. It will be a surprise. The boys, Shayne and James O'Kelly, and their mother, Jamee, have been coming into this old shop and looking at the stones for years, and now the boys and their mother have developed a new talent! The boys have started playing bluegrass music. With the guitar and banjo and their mother's vocal accompaniment, it is unbelievable, considering the fact that they have been doing this for only a year! The music will begin at 11 o'clock on Saturday, don't miss it."
The show is scheduled for April 9 and 10 at the Siloam Springs Community Building, located at Mt. Olive and University streets in Siloam Springs.
General News on 03/30/2016