Welcome to Grand Marais Rock and Mineral Show website
About Us
Agate, rock, and Mineral Show
This year's Grand Marais Rock and Mineral show took place September 11th (10:00am to 5:00pm) and September 12th (10:00am to 4:00pm). The show's advisory committee would like to thank everyone including the 1,300 attendees, rock and mineral dealers, food trucks, Grand Marais Women's Club (that sponsored the Keynote Speaker's Dinner), the regional sponsors, the volunteers, and the businesses that donated items for the prize raffle. Winds did hit the Grand Marais area early Saturday morning destroying two dealer tents, but the rain held off and the weather improved over the course of the rest of the weekend. We earned several thousand dollars excess revenue, which will be used for community benefit projects. The proposed first project will be to build access on Agate Beach in Grand Marais from the boardwalk to the Lake Superior shoreline that will allow people in wheelchairs and walkers to gain access to the rocks and water. Next year the rock show will, as usual, take place the weekend after Labor Day: September 10-11, 2022.
The following businesses and organizations have agreed to be a financial sponsor or have donated items for our silent auction:
This list will be kept updated. These are the sponsors/donators as of 9/27/21:
MAJOR SPONSOR ($200):
Gitche Gumee Museum (Grand Marais),
Grand Marais Pilot & Pictured Rocks Review,
Lake Superior Vacation Rentals (Grand Marais)
Agate Cross Bed & Breakfast (Grand Marais)
Beach Park Motel (Grand Marais)
Bowman Gas (central U.P.)
SIGNIFICANT SPONSORS ($100):
Winter Haven Motel (Pine Stump Junction)
Lake Superior Brewing Company (Grand Marais)
Sherpa Shack (Grand Marais)
Newberry Motors (Newberry)
Rainbow Charters (Grand Marais)
Undercover Storage (Grand Marais)
Bayshore Market (Grand Marais)
PRIZE RAFFLE DONATIONS
Gitche Gumee Museum (Grand Marais)
Star Line Mackinaw Island Ferry (Saint Ignace),
Glass Bottom Boat Shipwreck Tour (Munising),
Snyder Drugs (Newberry),
Bear Trap Inn (Shingleton),
Uncle Duckie Outdoors (Munising),
Pictured Rocks Trading Company (Munising),
Sink or Swim Tee Shirts (Manistique),
Eh! Burger (Munising),
Hillside Party Store East and West (Munising),
Mary Kay (Sandra Keelar representative),
Superior Hardware (Grand Marais),
Newberry Country Club (Newberry)
Chamberlin Ole Forest Inn (Curtis)
Bear Den Gas Station (McMillan)
Pictured Rocks Boat Tours/Alger County Chamber
(Munising)
Hiawatha Pasties (Naubinway)
Putvins Drugs (Munising)
Falling Rock Cafe (Munising)
Pictured Rocks Interpretive Center (Munising)
Shunk Furniture (Manistique)
Lake Superior Vacation Rentals (Grand Marais)
Pictured Rocks Memories (Paul Peterson, Gr. Marais)
Grand Marais Outfitters (Grand Marais)
Oswalds Bear Ranch (Newberry)
Grand Marais Mercantile (Grand Marais)
Jill Haldeman Jewelry (Melstrand)
Maters Stop & Go Gas Station (Seney)
Festival Facilities and Events
UPDATES
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR HELPING TO MAKE THE 2021 GRAND MARAIS ROCK AND MINERAL SHOW A SUCCESS! WE WILL MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND EXPAND THE SHOW TO BE EVEN BETTER IN 2022 (September 10-11, 2022).
--SATURDAY MORNING 9/11/21: The First Lutheran Church (across from Woodland Park Campground and west of the rock show) will hold a PANCAKE BREAKFAST. They will be serving pancakes, eggs, OJ, sausage and more. Price = donation. The hours on Saturday, September 11th are: 8:30 am to 11:00 am.
--DINNER TICKETS As of 9/7/21, over half the keynote dinner tickets have been sold. In 2019, there were also dinner tickets available when the rock show entered, but they sold out very quickly. If you would like to attend the dinner and/or the keynote address, you might want to purchase your tickets in advance. Once the 80 dinner tickets are sold, extra dinners will not be added. The room will be set up for 80 people so that we can do our best to social distance. The dinner tickets can be purchased from this webpage ($17 per person).
--MASKS Because some of the dinner/speech attendees are immune-compromised, we are requesting people to wear masks entering and leaving the community center as well as during the keynote presentation. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Attendees should also consider wearing masks inside the pole barn.
--NUMBER OF DEALERS / BOOTHS STILL AVAILABLE We are expecting around 30 rock and mineral dealers. If you would like to be a last-minute dealer, we are setting up a few extra spaces for outside booths. All dealers must pay for their space, fill out and sign a contract, and be set up by 10:00 am on Saturday. Booths must also have an inventory that is more than 50 percent rock and mineral related. The2021 dealers will be selling a wide variety of geologic treasures including Lake Superior agates as well as other agates, rocks, and minerals, jewelry, agate photo prints, books, and more.
--VOLUNTEERS NEEDED We may be in need of volunteers during the show to help with working the show entry desk, silent auction, walking security, clean up during and after the show, and more. The volunteer sign-up clipboard is on the counter at Bayshore Market (only gas station in Grand Marais). It is standing vertical on your right when you walk in the front door. If you are in town, please consider stopping by the gas station and putting your name in a slot. The show's success in part will depend on whether there are enough people to help make it happen. We will have the clipboard at the pole barn entrance during the show if you want to stop by the desk and asking if more volunteers are still needed.
--PLEASE DO NOT USE THE INDOOR TOILETS At our first show in 2019, we completely overwhelmed the very fragile septic system at the community center. The bathroom facility is not designed to handle such a large crowd. There are ports-potties and hand sanitizing stations outside on the show's grounds. Please use these or walk over to the flush toilets in the campground right next to the community center complex. The indoor toilets in the community center building are reserved for show personnel and individuals with special needs. The bothroom facilities will also be available to those attending the dinner and speech.
--SHOW ENTRANCES AND EXITS In 2019 some people entered the show without going through the front pole barn entrance. We had signs asking people to go around front to pay their entry fee, but many did not see the signs. This year, all the entrances we be blocked off except for the front (south) entrance to the pole barn, and possibly the east gate next to the community center. This east entrance/exit point will be accessible as long as we have enough volunteers to staff it. If the east gate is not open and staffed, all entries and exits to the show must be made through the south pole barn door.
--FOOD TRUCKS Food trucks will be set up in the grassy area behind the community center and next to the east gate. The food trucks will be accessible to the general public since they are being situated in an area outside of the ball field.
--MUSIC During the afternoons of both show days, there will be music from the stage behind the pole barn. This will be easy listening, background music to enhance the ambience. The music will be managed by Wade Whittington, who has performed several times across the street at the Dream Bean Machine (which is owned by his daughter). If you are at the show or in Grand Marais and are interested in an open-mike performance, speak with either Wade or one of the show managers.
SHOW EVENTS
Indoor booths
Outdoor booths
Food vendors
50/50 raffle
Silent Auction
Informational presentation
and more!