Prospector John's Blogupdate http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com What's new with Prospector John's Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:27:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 en Sign up now! http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/10/06/sign-up-now/ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/10/06/sign-up-now/#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:27:08 +0000 Wendy http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/10/06/sign-up-now/    Between shuffling around both my jobs,  vacations to Indiana and Vancouver, B.C., and life (wait, life..what’s that?) I have finally  gotten the new Winter Kid’s Day Camps under way! I will be holding them every other Monday, from Noon to 2pm.  At the moment we will be renting out space at a local church, but we may change the location later on, so calling/registering ahead is important. Also, I can only hold the day camps if I have a minimum of 10 kids to make it feasible, so I will be counting on folks calling ahead to sign up. I am very excited about us doing these day camps all winter. We are hoping that it will really take off and we’ll have to up our camps to every week instead of every other week.

  The camps will be all indoors, so we will stay warm and cozy even in the middle of January. I have activities and games for us to do, oh yes, and plus some actual learning! And of course, each child will get to pan through their very own bag of the super popular Prospector John’s Gem Stones Panning Bag. They will be able to start their own rock/mineral collection and have a fairly good knowledge (depending on how well they listen!) of the rock and mineral world.

   The price is $20 per child, for ages 5 to 12. (We can make exceptions though, such as for siblings that want to do it together). Parents can leave their children and take a break, go do some shopping or have lunch. And when they come back to get their kids, they will be smarter and have their own little rock collection!

  As before, please, please call ahead to register, and you can call me (Wendy) at 907-398-3442, or call the store, 907-260-1628. Make sure to provide your name, number, how many kids, their ages, and which Monday you’ll be coming to.

  If these go over well, I want to offer a Fossil Day Camp this winter too!

 I hope to see some of you there!

                                                      ~Wendy~

]]> http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/10/06/sign-up-now/feed/ End of Summer update. http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/09/07/end-of-summer-update/ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/09/07/end-of-summer-update/#comments Wed, 07 Sep 2011 01:45:49 +0000 Wendy http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/09/07/end-of-summer-update/   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!  

]]> http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/09/07/end-of-summer-update/feed/ ~Kid’s Gem Mining Day Camp Photos~ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/08/08/kids-gem-mining-day-camp-photos/ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/08/08/kids-gem-mining-day-camp-photos/#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:15:11 +0000 Wendy http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/08/08/kids-gem-mining-day-camp-photos/  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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]]> http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/08/08/kids-gem-mining-day-camp-photos/feed/ *Summer Update* http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/08/08/summer-update/ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/08/08/summer-update/#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2011 19:01:40 +0000 Wendy http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/08/08/summer-update/ Wow, the summer has just flown by this year! It’s been exciting, busy, and a lot of fun. Definitely the most fun I’ve ever had at a job. We had the Saw Fest in the middle of July, the Soldotna Progress Days in late July, and the Soldotna Creek Park Market every Wednesday.  We also had 2 Kid Day Camps in July. This was our first year doing these, and it’s really gone over even better than we could’ve hoped. Deandra and I both love working with kids, and being a huge rock hound myself, I get the biggest kick out of sharing that with kids.

   The 1st camp had 12 kids attending, while the July 29th camp had 23 kids, ranging in age from 3 to 13. It took myself, Deandra, and Miner Mike to do that camp. Last week was 11 kids. We are looking forward to this coming Friday camp. It will be our last of the season, but we are already planning on some kind of winter activities for homeschool and public school groups.

   We had so many cool people come through here this summer. I met people from New Zealand, Germany, Israel, Switzerland and Japan (to name just a few). And of course folks from all over the USA. It’s great how many people stop by to try their hand at gold panning or gem panning.

   I think the biggest compliment was from a little girl about 4 years old. She and her family were here for the Saw Fest, and she did the gem panning and went in the Gem Mine a couple times. On their last day in Alaska, she made her parents bring her back out, because, her dad explained with a sigh, when they’d asked her what she wanted to do on her last day of vacation, she wanted to come back out to Prospector John’s! She did the gem mine again, and the gem panning. She was so darn cute, and when they left she told us very seriously that she would definitely be back next year. She said this was her favorite place on their whole vacation. How awesome is that?

  This coming weekend we have the Anchorage Saturday Market to attend, and the following weekend we have the Kenai Peninsula Fair in Ninilchik. I’m excited! Please come and see us there!

 *Remember to smile!                                                    ~Wendy~

]]> http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/08/08/summer-update/feed/ *Saw Fest!* http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/07/15/saw-fest/ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/07/15/saw-fest/#comments Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:45:13 +0000 Wendy http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/07/15/saw-fest/   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!~

]]> http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/07/15/saw-fest/feed/ Remember the Annual Saw Fest! http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/07/07/remember-the-annual-saw-fest/ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/07/07/remember-the-annual-saw-fest/#comments Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:02:20 +0000 Wendy http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/07/07/remember-the-annual-saw-fest/  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!

]]> http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/07/07/remember-the-annual-saw-fest/feed/ ~Prospector John’s: Kid’s Gem Stone Mining Day Camp~ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/22/prospector-johns-kids-gem-stone-mining-day-camp/ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/22/prospector-johns-kids-gem-stone-mining-day-camp/#comments Wed, 22 Jun 2011 01:10:44 +0000 Wendy http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/22/prospector-johns-kids-gem-stone-mining-day-camp/    It’s official! And we’ve added another date to our Kid’s Day Camp. Sign up now for July 22nd, 29th, and August 5th, and now the 12th, too.It’s from noon to 3pm., and only on these days. Not only will the kids be able to explore the mine shaft with their little pink or blue hard hats, but they can watch Prospector John teach how to pan for gold, ride the one-of-a-kind carousel made of life sized, wooden, Alaskan animals, get a group photo (to be emailed out to everyone) have snacks and get cool souvenirs. For an additional cost of $15, they can also pan out gems and fossils (our deluxe, regularly $20 bag) on the new sluice boxes on the hill. They will learn about Alaskan gems and minerals, so it will be educational as well as fun!

 The cost is $15.00 (+tax) per child, and all ages are welcome. Please call myself or Deandra to register. We already have people signing up! This would be a great way to spend a birthday or entertain the kids while dad’s out fishing. We look forward to seeing you there! Wendy: 398-3442 ,  Deandra 394-7033.

                                   ~Wendy~  :)

]]> http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/22/prospector-johns-kids-gem-stone-mining-day-camp/feed/ Kids Gem Stone Day Camp! http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/13/kids-gem-stone-day-camp/ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/13/kids-gem-stone-day-camp/#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:05:46 +0000 Wendy http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/13/kids-gem-stone-day-camp/   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~

]]> http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/13/kids-gem-stone-day-camp/feed/ ~Talk To Us!~ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/08/talk-to-us/ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/08/talk-to-us/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:32:58 +0000 Wendy http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/08/talk-to-us/    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~

]]> http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/08/talk-to-us/feed/ Pictures of the Gem Stone Mine http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/07/pictures-of-the-gem-stone-mine/ http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/07/pictures-of-the-gem-stone-mine/#comments Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:03:35 +0000 Wendy http://updates.goldpan-alaska.com/2011/06/07/pictures-of-the-gem-stone-mine/ Gem Stone Mine Construction

Gem Stone Mine under construction

 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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