BRAINERD — Ed Opatz realized his interest in the mystery and beauty of rocks while helping Dad on construction sites as a young boy.
When he was 6 years old, he told his dad he was taking a vacation day to dig for agates. He’s been dedicated to his hobby ever since.
A longtime member of the Cuyuna Rock, Gem, and Mineral Club, which organizes the yearly mineral and gem show in Brainerd, Opatz joined Area Voices on the KAXE/KBXE Morning Show to discuss the joys of rock hunting. He also gave some hints for how to tell if a rock is just a rock — or if there is something exciting inside. This year’s show will be Saturday and Sunday, May 12-13, at the Crow Wing County Fairgrounds, south of Brainerd.
Opatz says to pay close attention to colors.
“Caramel color on the skin, I always look at those because there’s something with that color agate...and also if it has dimples,” he said. “ ... Dimples is another telltale sign that I look at a rock closer.”
Opatz’s eye for finding the good stones may well have assisted him in his marriage. While he and his wife Marcia dated decades ago, her grandmother’s wedding ring fell off her finger and into a pile of rocks.
“We are walking around on the rocks, and I heard her ring fall off and she was getting mad,” Opatz explained. “I said, ‘you got to stop and back away because if we move too many, we're never going to find it.’”
He went back a day or so later to look for the missing ring.
“I was just standing there and all of the sudden, a glint.”
It was their own version of a needle in a haystack — a diamond in a rock pile.
Rock hunting is an inexpensive activity that can provide accessible fun for people of all ages. For not much more than the cost of a little gas and lunch, folks can hunt for agates and enjoy some fresh air. Opatz noted the simple pleasures of rock hunting.
“Be out in nature and walk around a half-day and most times, if you’re in the right area, you’re going to find some,” he said.
Minnesota is home to an array of semi-precious minerals. Binghamite, tiger iron, thomsonite, pipestone, Mary Ellen jasper and Lake Superior agates are commonly found here. The event this weekend will also feature finds from across the globe.
This year’s gem show includes more than 70 vendors coming from a 300-mile radius selling agates, crystals, fossils, geodes and jewelry. Lapidary equipment — or what is used to cut gemstones — will be on-site. And the Wizard of Rocks will assist with identifying mystery stones people might bring for identification.
The Cuyuna Agate and Mineral Show is this weekend, May 13-14, at the Crow Wing County Fairgrounds. The event is 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for kids and moms have free admission on Sunday.
Area Voices is made possible by the MN Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of MN.
