Events

The Rice Northwest Rock and Mineral Museum hosts a wide variety of events, festivals, workshops, and classes at the museum.

This is an archive of events and activities at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals.

Northwest Fossil Fest at the Rice Northwest Museum

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The Northwest Fossil Fest sponsored by the North America Research Group (NARG) will take place at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals on Saturday, August 8, 2015, from 10 AM to 5 PM. The Theme for the 10th Annual Northwest Fossil Fest is The Pleistocene Epoch! The event is free for families to learn about fossils, fossil collecting, preparation, identification, and display. The event includes lectures and demonstrations, including presentations by Mike Full and Dave Ellingson.  Mike will discuss some of his recent important discoveries from the Yamhill River Pleistocene Project and will have some of his Ice Age mammal bone discoveries on display.  Dave, a science teacher at Woodburn High School, will talk about major fossil discoveries from a bog deposit on grounds of the Woodburn Campus.  The Woodburn discoveries are part of the exciting Willamette Valley Pleistocene Project.  The lecture schedule will be published soon. Paleontologists will be on hand identify fossils and to show kids of all ages how to clean and prepare fossils.  There will be lots of hands on activities and this is a great event for families and fossil fans.  Attendance for the Fossil Fest includes free admission to the museum. For more information and up-to-the-minute information see Northwest Fossil Fest. IMPORTANT ROAD CONSTRUCTION ALERT:  Please note that Helvetia Road will be closed August 8, 2015 because of construction.  Please follow our detour instructions and be alert for detour signs to guide you to the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals and the 2015 NW Fossil Fest.

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2015 Summer Festival: A preview of our vendors, exhibitors, and food

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The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals’ Annual Summer Festival is right around the corner on August 1-2, 2015, and we have a fantastic list of vendors, exhibits, and rock clubs coming to dazzle everyone. We are honored to have exhibits and representatives of the following rock, gem, and mineral clubs at Summer Festival. They will be presenting a variety of demonstrations with activities for children and families as well. Tualatin Valley Rock and Gem Club Clackamette Mineral and Gem Columbia Willamette Faceters Guild Mount Hood Rock Club Northwest Mineral Prospector’s Club (NWMPC) OAMS – Oregon Agate & Mineral Society Fred and Wilma Flintstone will be there the whole weekend with their Flintmobile giving “rides” to kids of all ages. Come get your photograph taken with these amazing living cartoon characters and rockhounds. OMSI will have an exhibit exploring the science of rocks and minerals. We have a wide range of vendors bringing their beautiful rocks, minerals, fossils, and gemstones for you to buy as well as demonstrations of lapidary and jewelry making.  Our exhibitors include the following: Sharleen Harvey “Days Past” with Marian Carroll “Earthly Treasures” with Jim and Sherry Smith “Fred and Wilma Flintstone” with Mitch Metcalf “Global Mineral” with Krista Dennis “Grand Products, Ltd” with Boris Chen and Ellen Law “Nature’s Art” with Mikala Eslinger “Rare Earth Exploration” with Austin Arp Steve Falconbury “The 3rd Rock” with Alise Lundmark “Treasures by Tilgner” with Lamar and Merlia Tilgner “Viper Lapidary” with Tiffany Jackson “Art and Artifact” with Paul Foulon “Lost Viking” with Eric Chilson “Camelsmith Gems” with Len Rummel “Martell and Martell Rock Shop” with Brian and Peggy Martell “F-R-O-G Creations” with Sandy Metheany “The Hummingbird Kisser” with Kimberly Brown Food trucks by  Momo’s Hawaiian Shave Ice (Saturday) and Alvaros Tacos (Sunday) will be there for the hungry masses.  And we are thrilled to have Jerico Road joining us for some lively musical entertainment Sunday as well. The fun starts Saturday, August 1, at 10 AM and goes through Sunday, August 2 at 5 PM. We look forward to seeing you there! IMPORTANT ROAD CONSTRUCTION ALERT:  Please note that Helvetia Road will be closed August 8, 2015 because of construction.  Not to worry!  Just follow our detour instructions and be alert for detour signs to guide you to the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals and the 2015 Summer Festival.

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July 10: Photomicrography Techniques at Geological Society of Oregon Country Meeting

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Julian Gray will be presenting “Digital Specimen Photography for Geologists,” a presentation on macrophotography and photomicrography, the photographing of things at the microscope level. The event will be at the Portland State University as part of the Geological Society of Oregon Country events. Geologists constantly need to depict rocks, minerals, and fossils for presentations and publications. Digital photography has extended the range of possibilities in illustrating samples. One common problem, reduced depth of field at high magnifications, is easily overcome using stacking techniques. This technique uses sharply focused portions of sequential photographs focused on different slices or stacks to produce a synthesized images in which the subject is crisply focused. Julian Gray, executive director of the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals, is a geologist and semi-professional photographer specializing in photomicrography. He has experimented extensively with photographing through microscopes and using stacking techniques and others to produce stunning images with extensive depth of field, bringing sand, crystals, minerals, and even salt to life and shine like diamonds. Julian’s images have been published in mineral magazines and books. He is also the co-author and contributing photographer of the upcoming book, Minerals of Georgia. For more information and directions, see their site for details.

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July 15: Central Oregon Rock Collector’s Lecture

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Julian Gray will be speaking at the July 15, 2015, at the Central Oregon Rock Collector’s in Bend, Oregon, at 7 PM. While the topic, of course, will be rocks and minerals, he will also be covering the history of the museum founders, Richard and Helen Rice. Their love and passion for rockhounding began collecting agate on Agate Beach in Oregon. Among the many treasures they found with their family were ordinary pebbles that were quickly turned into gemstone wonders with a little rock polishing. Determined to share their excitement, they became active in local and regional rock clubs. Their true legacy is the museum that bears their name, continuing to inspire rockhounds of all ages. Richard and Helen built their dream home with built in display cases for their collection and rooms dedicated to polishing gems and making jewelry. For this month’s program the museum’s director, Julian Gray, will take us on a visual tour of the Rice Northwest Museum and the unique building that houses this remarkable collection. Julian Gray is is the executive director of the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals, a geologist, former curator of the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, and co-author of the upcoming book, Minerals of Georgia. He holds a Bachelors and Masters of Science degrees in geology from Georgia State University. He relocated to Oregon in 2014 to take the reins of the Rice Northwest Museum.

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July 7: Columbia Willamette Faceter’s Guild Lecture

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NOTE: TIME AND PLACE CHANGE The event begins at 7PM at the Rice Northwest Museum NOT at OMSI Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Mineral’s Executive Director, Julian Gray will be speaking at the July 7, 2015, Columbia Willamette Faceter’s Guild on the history of the museum founders. The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals began as the personal collection of two avid rockhounds: Richard and Helen Rice. Richard and Helen’s love of rock collecting began on Agate Beach, were they discovered that ordinary pebbles could be turned into beautiful gemstone treasures. They collected rocks and minerals and learned to polish gems. They also became active in local and regional rock clubs. But their legacy is the museum that bears their name. Richard and Helen built their dream home with built in display cases for their collection and rooms dedicated to polishing gems and making jewelry. The museum’s director, Julian Gray, will take you on a visual tour of the Rice NW Museum and the unique building that houses this remarkable collection. The event will be at 7PM at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro. 7:30PM at OMSI in Portland, Oregon. For more information, see the guild’s site. Julian Gray is a geologist, former curator of the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, and co-author of the upcoming book, Minerals of Georgia. He holds a Bachelors and Masters of Science degrees in geology from Georgia State University. He relocated to Oregon in 2014 to take the reins of the Rice Northwest Museum.

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2015 Summer Festival August 1-2

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Join us for the 12th Annual Summer Festival on Saturday and Sunday, August 1-2, 2015, 10AM to 5PM, at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals. The weekend event includes vendors with minerals, fossils, gems, jewelry, gold panning, lapidary demonstrations, geode cutting, and a variety of activities for the young and old. There will be local food available for purchase and live music, and the famous Flintstones Mobile will make an appearance. On Saturday only, from 11 AM to 1 PM, Mrs. Delicia Wistrand, Mrs Oregon America will be attending Summer Fest. A silent auction, raffles, and door prizes will be held throughout the day. Admission is $5 for adults, free for students 17 years old and under. A great experience for the whole family! Bring your inner rock hound and join us for a fabulous Summer Festival. Belong to a local school or rock club? Download and print and share the Rice NW Museum 2015 Summer Fest Flyer. IMPORTANT ROAD CONSTRUCTION ALERT:  Please note that Helvetia Road will be closed August 8, 2015 because of construction.  Not to worry!  Just follow our detour instructions and be alert for detour signs to guide you to the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals and the 2015 Summer Festival.

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Meteorite and Family Fun Day is May 23

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Asteroid, meteor, meteorite: what’s the difference? Come find out on May 23rd at our Meteorite and Family Fun Day! The event runs from 10 AM through 5 PM and features talks by an expert, meteorite identification, and fun activities for kids. Admission is reduced to $5 for all visitors (children 4 and under are free). Dick Pugh of the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory at Portland State University will be giving talks at 11 AM and 1 PM, exploring famous meteorite falls as well as meteorite science. If you have a possible meteorite you’d like him to identify, please try to arrive before 2 PM. Kids will enjoy touching real meteorites found in locations all over the world. Additional science activities and crafts will be fun for the whole family!

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Thunder-Egg-Stravaganza April 4, 2015

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On Saturday, April 4, come to the museum for our thunderegg hunt! Find whole thundereggs and plastic eggs to redeem for prizes. We will have free thunderegg cutting all day so you can discover what lies inside your find! Additionally, come see a talk on Thundereggs of the Pacific Northwest at 11 AM or 1 PM, as well as our regular museum tour at 2 PM. Event details: Saturday, April 4, from 10 AM – 5 PM $5 admission (children 4 and under are free) We will cut up to two thundereggs per visitor. Please no outside eggs.

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