Kim Vagner

Eerie Elegance: The Spooky Mineral Display You Can’t Miss

As the crisp air of autumn settles in, the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals invites you to explore a captivating collection that perfectly embodies the spirit of Halloween. This season, our virtual museum is showcasing a spooky display of minerals and rocks, each with playful names that evoke eerie themes. From “Ghoulish Garnets” to “Phantom Pyrites,” these geological wonders offer a unique twist on the traditional Halloween experience. Whether you’re searching for “rocks and minerals near me” or simply looking to indulge your curiosity, this special exhibit promises to thrill visitors of all ages. Join us as we delve into the mysterious world of these bewitching specimens, where science meets the supernatural. Prepare for a hauntingly good time at the Rice Museum, where every stone tells a story and every visit is an adventure! Real name: Azurite

Eerie Elegance: The Spooky Mineral Display You Can’t Miss Read More »

Dino Play Day at the Rice Museum!

SAT, SEP 28TH 10AM-2PM Join us for DINO PLAY DAY! Fossil Digs – you get to be the paleontologist! Hands-on Fossil Table – touch real dino bones! The Fossil Team  – will be here with their fossils and replicas! Dinosaur & Prehistoric Critter Drawings – by geology student and artist, Ethan Schmunk! Dino Crafts – let your imagination run wild! Included with general admission. Free for members. This event is in conjunction with Worldwide Day of Play, an event sponsored by the Association of Children’s Museums and Nickelodeon. As a day dedicated to experiencing joyful learning through play, it focuses on getting children and their families active!

Dino Play Day at the Rice Museum! Read More »

Jeff Parshley Joins the Board

Jeff Parshley has been a mineral collector since early in life—a penchant that increasingly crystallized during his 40-plus year career in the minerals industry.  He is a registered professional geologist in seven states and certified by the American Institute of Professional Geologists. Jeff’s work has included mineral exploration, research geology, geochemistry, and environmental stewardship, with a particular emphasis in sustainable mine closure over the past 35 years. His career has taken him to mining districts throughout the world.   Over three decades ago, Jeff began working for SRK Consulting, an employee-owned global engineering and scientific firm specializing in support for a responsible mineral resource industry. He served on the boards of SRK’s North American and global companies including five years as chair and continues to serve on the board of SRK Chile. In addition, Jeff has served for a total of 10 years on the board of trustees of the American Exploration & Mining Association based in Spokane, Washington. He serves on several advisory boards for the Mackay College of Science at the University of Nevada Reno.  Jeff has won several awards and accolades including the 2014 AIME/SME Environmental Conservation Distinguished Service Award for his work in mine closure. He was featured on the Mining Journal’s list of mining’s 50 most influential people in 2020 and 2021.   Jeff was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but grew up in Portland. He now lives in Reno, Nevada, and still prefers to self-collect minerals when he can. 

Jeff Parshley Joins the Board Read More »

Summer Reading Challenge

Are you ready for the challenge?  From June 29th through September 10th, any child who finishes one of of our two reading challenges gets a prize! Challenge 1 – Read books on various Earth Sciences topics. Challenge 2 – Read new books, or your favorite books, in various places outdoors. Parents, register your child or children via this page, and we will send you one free admission pass per child. Also on this page is where you will download the challenges. And, we’ve included a list of books by topic, for inspiration! Once your child has completed a challenge, stop by the Museum Gift Store and we will give them their prize!

Summer Reading Challenge Read More »

Beautiful Rocks & How to Find Them

PRESENTATION & BOOK SIGNING Join local rockhound Alison Jean Cole for a presentation and signing of her new book, “Beautiful Rocks and How To Find Them” on Saturday, Jun 15, 2024 at 2pm.   Alison will discuss the Pacific Northwest rockhounding scene, laws that allow us to collect, and share amazing stories about the rocks, minerals, and fossils that can be found in our region. Alison Jean Cole is a lapidary artist based in Portland, Oregon. She travels all over the western United States in search of materials to use in her craft. She leads rockhounding expeditions, is a proud member of her local rock club, and self-publishes Thunderegg, a zine that focuses on the changing face of rockhounding culture.

Beautiful Rocks & How to Find Them Read More »

Summer Camps 2024

Fill your kids summer days with fun sports and games on our 22 acres of property. Let them experiment with many different parts of STEAM including chemistry, biology, engineering, technology, physics, geology, math, and even fine arts in our air conditioned classroom! Led by experienced teachers, along with special community guests and experts, with exclusive time reserved for touring and studying our Museum. Learn more here.

Summer Camps 2024 Read More »

Blue Star Museum 2024

We are again joining museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that provides free admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer.  The 2024 program will begin on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 18, 2024, and end on Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 2024. Learn more and find the list of participating museums at  arts.gov/BlueStarMuseums.  Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and participating museums across America. The program includes children’s museums, art, science, and history museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses, and more, and hail from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The current list of participating museums will continue to grow over the summer as organizations are welcome to register to be a Blue Star Museum throughout the summer. The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military—Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force, members of the Reserves, National Guard, U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps, and up to five family members.  Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card  (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum. Follow #bluestarmuseums on Twitter @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily. 

Blue Star Museum 2024 Read More »

Volcano Day 2024!

Join us on Saturday, May 18, 2024 from 10am-2pm. Fun and educational for all ages. Indoors and outdoors. In our Northwest Gallery explore exhibits of Mt. Saint Helens Memorabilia and memories, and share your story with us. Don’t miss a fun and interactive activity on effusive vs. explosive volcanoes! Or Blair Stuhlmuller’s talk on World Ending Eruptions! When it comes to past mass extinctions, the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs gets all the glory and fame, but more often than not, volcanoes have played the leading role in causing life on this planet to nearly disappear. Three of the five mass extinctions in our Earth’s history–the End Permian Extinction, the End Triassic and, yes, even the Cretaceous Extinction–have been caused by massive volcanic eruptions. Come find out how volcanoes managed to wreak havoc on the Earth’s climate, continents and oceans and wipe out 75% or more of life…three separate times! Geologist and artist Ethan Schmunk will draw your favorite dinosaur or prehistoric critter! You can choose from a list, or make a request. And, of course, watch the eruption of our TRASHCANO!

Volcano Day 2024! Read More »

Free Guided Tour

Our free guided tours are back from May through November 2024!  Embark with us on a journey into the fascinating world of rocks and minerals!  This well-curated tour is designed to provide a fun and educational introduction to the world of rocks and minerals and the Rice Museum. Walking through our galleries you’ll admire the stunning beauty of nature’s artwork while learning about the geological processes that create them. In addition, you’ll hear about the couple that spent a lifetime collecting these wonders, and then turned their collection and home into a museum. Afterwards enjoy the displays at your own pace, have a picnic outside,  or walk one of our nature trails. It’s the perfect tour for science enthusiasts, rockhounds, or anyone who has driven past us on highway 26 and wondered what that mid-century modern home was in the middle of the farmland!  Advanced registration is required. This is a mixed group (families) tour with up to 20 attendees. Recommended for first grade and older. Please make sure to register all people in your party, including children.  Thank you to our generous donors who made offering this program possible!  People who wished to be recognized by name: Julie and Dave SorensonErica PatinoRoss McKnightLorraine W VagnerJessica BakerHarriet OttavianoJanet and Stephen TolopkaRussell WilliamsLola “Rusty” Etzwiler

Free Guided Tour Read More »

Jan Morrison Joins the Board

Jan happily resides in Maine less than a quarter mile from the tourmaline mine her husband, Jeff, owns and operates.  Jan loves humor, especially that which is understated or ironic. When it comes down to business, she is all business, having been tagged by a friend as “the Janinator” by the way she clerked the course at local and state track & field meets, yet she readily deflects that serious demeanor with outlandish humor at the least provocation. In 1978 she earned a B.S. in Business Administration, having taken “every science class Oregon State University offered to undergrads” and was finally personally asked by university President Robert McVicar to graduate when he stated she had “way too many credits” and it was time to matriculate.  Jan’s aim for the past 35 years has been to ignite the spark in others to learn and pursue their passions, particularly in the realms of geology, mineralogy, and gemology. She enjoys coming alongside people to support and encourage them to succeed in their work and their lives. Jan’s formal career began on a fast-track in retail management, then shot an erratic trajectory through accounting, foreign export of metals, engineering & quality control for furnishing warships, politics, directing non-profits, business and engineering writing and editing, philanthropy, and operations/office management. She has served on many boards including the Seattle School Board, the Seattle Art Museum Board of Directors, the West Seattle Arts Commission Board of Directors, the KCTS Seattle Ch9 Public Broadcasting Advisory Board, and the Religious Broadcasting Commission. In addition to her career, she has also served as a volunteer in leadership and administrative positions in numerous organizations such as the Naval Academy Parent’s Club-Maine, various Parent/Teacher organizations, BSF International, and Young Life of Casco Bay. Her side interests include reading, traveling, sewing and fiber arts of most any kind, gardening, writing, painting, and cooking.  As empty nesters of four adult children (and five grandkids), Jan and Jeff are now allowed time for travel and their continued mutual pursuit of rocks, generally not as collectors, but as observers and learners.  Born in Oklahoma, she has lived in Texas, Oregon, and Washington before making the trek to Maine to marry Jeff. Along the way she’s collected things that interest her: beach sand, leaf and shell fossils, obsidian, lava, striped stones, a growing collection of metallics, and quirky as well as phenomenally beautiful things from the Havey Quarry.  Whenever traveling, she and Jeff not only take in the cultural aspects of an area (like museums), but hunt for rock and land formations that help tell the story of the areas they are visiting. As she clambered all over the Cascades and Willamette and Hood River Valleys while living in Oregon for 20 years Jan is glad to be on the Board of the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals and to be able to serve and give back to the state that has given her such a great zest for life and its opportunities.

Jan Morrison Joins the Board Read More »

Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals
Translate »