7. September 2011 by Wendy.

  As summer has wound down to fall, we are getting into the autumn mode  here at the shop. All too soon, Alaskans everywhere will be packing up their summer toys and summer clothes and settling in for winter. Yard clean up before the snow flies, finding storage for boats, 4-wheelers, motorcycles, etc. 2011 was a good summer for us, and a busy one for me, so in some ways I think I will welcome the slower pace of winter. (Don’t hold me to that remark, come the middle of January!) I enjoy the busy-ness of summer, meeting new people, and so on, but the kids camps really wore me out! In a good way, of course, but it was a lot of work and planning. Although seeing the kids playing in the mine and identifying their rocks pretty much made it all worth it.  

   We are currently working out the details for doing a camp for school groups and homeschool groups this winter. I think it will be fun and I really enjoy seeing other people getting as excited about rocks and minerals as I do!  

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8. August 2011 by Wendy.

 Here are some pictures from the 2nd Kids Gem Mining Day Camp.

  Wendy teaching the kids how Agates are formed; Miner Mike teaching how to use the sluice boxes to wash gravel for gold; Miner Mike and Deandra standing outside the Gem Mine Shaft; Wendy taking her group into the mine; Prospector John doing his Gold Panning Show.

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15. July 2011 by Wendy.

  Come out and see us at the Annual Saw Fest! There’s a chain saw carving competition, vendors, food, and of course our gold and gem panning. All day, July 13th to 16th. I will upload some photos of the events next week when the craziness slows down, so keep checking back!           ~Wendy~

    ~Don’t forget to smile at a grumpy person today. There seems to be alot around lately; especially driving on the roads!~

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7. July 2011 by Wendy.

 Make sure to mark your calendars, because The Town of Living Trees is having their annual Saw Fest on July 13,14, 15, and 16. There will be tons of activities, including  chain-saw carving competitions, vendors, booths, live entertainment, and our gold and gem stone panning. Also, our newly opened Gem and Fossil Mine. And thats only a drip in the bucket! It will be 4 days of fun and excitement, a great way to spend your weekend, entertain your visiting family and friends, or just occupy yourselves and your kids!

  Prospector John’s is located at The Town of Living Trees, at mile 90.7 in Sterling, AK. The fun is happening right here, next week. Don’t miss it!

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13. June 2011 by Wendy.

  The Kids Gem Stone Day Camp is officially underway! We will be taking registrations now, so please email or call us to get your little rock hound signed up. The dates are July 22, July 29, and August 5. It will be from noon to 3pm, and the price is $15.00 a child. All ages welcome. The kids can look forward to a carousel ride, digging for gems in an actual gem stone mine, a show by Prospector John, , and souvenirs to take home.  Don’t put off signing up for it!

                                                                                                                         ~Wendy~

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8. June 2011 by Wendy.

   Even though the comments feature is turned off on this blog, you are all more than welcome to shoot us an email with any thoughts, questions, comments,etc. I can add it to the blog from there; so we’d love to hear from you! You know how to reach us: prospectorjohn@yahoo.com.

  Remember to smile at  a grumpy person today! :)          ~Wendy~

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7. June 2011 by Wendy.

 The Gem Stone Mine is well underway! Miner Mike is running the chain saw. This is when the walls had just got up.

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7. June 2011 by Wendy.

 Prospector John just announced that every Monday will be 20% OFF Gold Panning and Gem Stone Panning! This will be perfect for this summer when you want to bring your kids or visiting friends out for some panning fun. So make sure to add this to your fridge calendars. Mondays are set aside for Panning at Prospector John’s!

                                                                                                                                                  ~Wendy~

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5. June 2011 by Wendy.

   Boy, have we got some great plans for this summer! John is finally seeing his vision for an actual gem stone mine come into a reality. Excavation has begun on the mine, and our new sluice boxes are being built as I type. Deandra and I are plotting out a kid’s day camp for July and August. We have so many plans swirling around inside our heads! John is as excited as we are. Today I talked with some people who are already making plans to come back just for the kid’s day camp when they are down on the peninsula for fishing next month. We will incorporate rock lessons and trivia with the gem stone mine  and the gem stone sluice boxes, as well as Prospector John’s gold panning show. Hopefully we can get kids excited about rocks and gems.  They’ll be able to take home all the treaures they pan or mine for, and cool trivia about rocks that they can share with their family or class. We are aiming for something teacher’s can use to supplemant their geology lessons with. We will keep you updated on the details of the kid’s day camp, activities, and prices, as soon as they are official. Meanwhile, plan to come see us this summer so you can experience our gold panning and gem panning for yourself. By the time all of John’s ideas are carried out, this place is going to look like an Alaska DisneyLand! It’s going to be awesome!! Make sure to include us in your summer plans, and don’t forget to smile at somebody today!..      ~Wendy~

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2. June 2011 by Wendy.

 Hello! My name is Wendy, and I will be helping Prospector John keep this blog up to date this year. Hopefully, I can get some exciting news (and photos) on here before the summer gets too hectic. Already, we have gold-panners and gem stone panners coming in from as far away as New Zealand and Germany, and as near as Oregon and Washington. I look forward to meeting all the cool people that will be coming through here this season.

  Have a great day! Check back for updates. Don’t forget to smile at somebody to day!  :)                     ~Wendy~

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