Festival features gems, minerals and volunteers

A new sight at the Fall Festival of Gems, these spheres are made of recycled surfboard resin. The annual event is put on by the Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society on Alvarado Street.

Run by gem and mineral society members Sandy Schieffer, left, and Vanessa Jones, the ongoing rounds of silent auctions with new items every 45 minutes are a popular feature of the fall event, Oct. 13.

– These fossils and pieces of petrified wood are some of the many collectibles available at vendor booths each year at the Fall Festival of Gems.

Volunteer Carol Wittrock-Gold offers a young visitor a free polished rock, in the Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society Museum which was open for viewing the day of the festival. Its regular open hours are Thursday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This year, Fallbrook Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1924 handles the lunch booth with Cmdr. Chris Ingraham at the grill.

Gem and mineral society member Andrew Willis teaches children how to pan for gold outside the museum, 123 W. Alvarado St. in Fallbrook.

Oco geodes are a new addition to the gems and minerals to be found at the Fall Festival of Gems in Fallbrook.

Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society administrative assistant Michelle Shearer displays her handmade jewelry, including wire-wrapped gem stones, at her own booth.