May 12, 2007 Monthly Meeting of the Buckeye Chapter of the GPAA

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What a difference a month makes. We were greeted at the  meeting this month with bright sunshine and temperatures in the upper 70's. The potluck dinner had it's usual assortment of delicious entrees and desserts. Somebody decided to go "gourmet" on us and made some wonderful finger sandwiches and cucumber pieces stuffed with cream cheese and dill, quite a treat for those of us who came out of the river from the first half of the common dig.
 
There were about 70 people including 5 new members at the meeting which was very orderly. Old and new business preceded an announcement by Jeff concerning a meeting he had earlier in the day with Mandie Willis of the Prairie Peddler Festival committee. The festival runs the last weekend of Sept. and the first weekend of Oct. in Butler, Ohio. They would like to have our chapter provide a panning demonstration and in return are offering us a free vendors booth. It was decided that we would participate if we have enough volunteers to make a good showing. This is a great opportunity for our chapter as there will be about 25,000 attendees according to Ms. Willis. The link to the festival is http://www.prairietown.com/  

A moment of silence for our fallen heroes and those who are fighting for our freedom, the treasurer's report, and prize drawings concluded the meeting.

After the meeting the common dig continued. We had a very good dig with 16 signed participants, a few occasional helpers, and a nice crowd of spectators. The equipment we used this month was the Harney wash plant and a keene 2'' "backpack" dredge. A good time was had by all who participated and reports by those who had begun panning their concentrates were showing good color.

I left the claim with a feeling of accomplishment for the day's events. The sun was getting low and several camps dotted the property. The temperature was steadily dropping as prospectors, their families, and friends began congregating around their campfires for the evening. I really hated to see the day end.

Next months meeting is shaping up to be one to remember with our invitational common dig among the activities. We will set the long tom on the "island" at the east end of the camping area. Details can also be seen at http://www.buckeyegold.com/events.htm in the "special events" section. We hope to see many old and new faces there and hopefully, our horseshoe pits will be built by then.

In the meantime, best of luck on all your prospecting adventures.

Text above was copied from the Ohio Outdoorsman Form Post by Patrick O'Masters