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Mineral ShowsFranklin Fall Show

3rd Sep 2013 22:12 UTCGary Weinstein

Mindaters,

Coming up at the end of this month is the Franklin Show in northern NJ. Many of the old-timers bring lots of goodies to this show. I will bring many new items, as usual, and be set up indoors. Look for the denim table covers and stop by and say hello. Minerals, Fossils, Fluorescents, Gems, Annual Banquet with Auctions to support the local club, Museums and some of the best folks in the country. What more could you ask for? Sat. 28th and Sun. 29th. See you there.

Gary

4th Sep 2013 01:20 UTCSteven Kuitems Expert

Looking forward to the Franklin Show. Still trying to decide what to display for my "white light " display.

Always enjoy seeing the people who show up at the show as well as the minerals.


Steve.

4th Sep 2013 03:36 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

I wouldn't miss it.

25th Sep 2013 03:20 UTCSteve Stuart Expert

I'll be there on Sunday, September 29th. Hope there's something left to see and buy! Looking forward to meeting up with other Mindat-ers.

27th Sep 2013 01:39 UTCGary Moldovany

Heather and I will be there again. Look for our booth outside "Just Keep A Rockin'" Hoping to chat with some Mindat Members;-)

30th Sep 2013 02:03 UTCGary Moldovany

Well, another Franklin show has come and gone. It was great meeting a lot of new friends and seeing some old ones. Thanks for buying a few specimens from us, Alfredo. And thanks to all the Mindaters who stopped by at our table. Now for the unhappy stuff... It seemed that attendance was down a lot from the last show, especially on Saturday. There was a major problem. They don't let the outside dealers in the gate until 7:30 a.m. But the "powers-that-be" somehow decided to let all the rest of the show attendees in at the same time. There were a lot of people walking around who couldn't buy anything for at least a 1/2 hour until all the dealers got set up. The same thing happened on Sunday morning, although, once again it was somehow decided not to let anyone in until 9:00 a.m. and the same situation happened. I don't understand what the mind-set of the show operators is. Don't they realize that the dealers need 30-45 minutes to set up their tables and canopies? It's hard enough to get set up without all these people walking around trying to look at your minerals while you are still opening flats. I heard that there will be a meeting to discuss the show and this issue will be solved by the April 2014 show. Please, guys, we just need a little help here!

30th Sep 2013 21:22 UTCGary Moldovany

I'm not done venting yet!! In addition to the above, dealers were required to pay an entrance fee of $7 each, this in addition to table fees! What mineral show charges admission to the dealers? It's odd because the spring Franklin Show(run by a different group) does not charge admission to the dealers. I also forgot to mention that the indoor show did not open until 10:00 a.m. but the indoor dealers are allowed to come in on Friday afternoon to set up.

1st Oct 2013 00:09 UTCChester S. Lemanski, Jr.

Gary,


I hope the proper people get to read your comments. The September show is run by the Franklin Mineral Museum (only). The spring show is run by the New Jersey Earth Science Association, in conjunction with the Franklin-Ogdensburg Mineralogical Society and the Sterling Hill Mining Museum. I "run" the outdoor shows, both in April and September; however, my "authority" is limited to enforcing the rules. The gate times are mandated by the main show operators, not by the FOMS outdoor volunteers who have to operate within their parameters (we can't start parking until the show operators are set up to collect the entry fees). We have always allowed paid visitors for the outdoor show as soon as the gates open. Traditionally, when the show was at the reserve armory, there were no gates and everyone was free to roam about as the dealers were parked and setting up, so really nothing has changed there. The Franklin Mineral Museum policy for all vehicle occupants to pay normal show admission at the fall show has been in effect for several years. Before, the driver was admitted free and all additional occupants had to pay but after the show FOMS reimbursed the museum for those "free" admissions (FOMS took it out of our hide).


When they didn't charge an admission fee for the outdoor dealer vehicles, abuse became evident. The vehicles were becoming ever more packed with people getting in free (and not working behind the tables once set up). Some folks complain because of our full page of rules. Except for the rules based on the conditions of use for the school property (no alcohol, no smoking, no pets, no overnight parking), and insurance concerns (no bicycles, skateboards, skates), all the remaining rules are based on past practices or abuses by some (a very few) outdoor dealers. Fortunately, this year there were no problems.


I was sorry to see that about a half dozen of our very regular outdoor dealers were not at this show, despite the excellent weather. I don't know the show paid attendance statistics yet. Saturday seemed light.


Chet

1st Oct 2013 12:32 UTCGary Moldovany

Thanks for chiming in, Chet. It was great speaking with you at the show. I fully appreciate the dedication and sacrifice of all the show volunteers. I have worked as a volunteer at a few shows myself so I understand. I was directing my comments at the "show operators" I understand that you were just doing your job. Just because a policy has been in effect for years does not make it right. We felt like the outdoor dealers were being a little "tortured". My costs for the weekend were: $105 in table fees and $28 for admission. I guess I would have been happier if we had sold more specimens. You were there, so you saw for yourself that there were many show attendees just walking around with nothing to do for a while until the vendors were set up. They could not even go to the inside show until that was open at 10:00. I spoke to many of the other dealers and almost every one had a problem with this. My wife, Heather and I have been selling at Franklin for several years and we greatly enjoy seeing all the people and connecting with everyone. It is always a great experience and I applaud all those who worked so hard to make it what it is. Hope we will see you at the Riverdale Show this weekend. Gary
 
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