The QIA Pow Wow Gem & Mineral Show brings treasure to Quartzsite
by Cate Mueller (updated by Nancy Gregory)

The 43rd annual Quartzsite Improvement Association (QIA) Pow Wow Gem and Mineral Show for 2009 was on Wednesday through Sunday, January 21 - 25. Show hours are 9 am - 6 pm daily. Rockhounds, here’s your chance to find the perfect specimen to craft into a special work of art. Come early and wear comfortable shoes!

   The Pow Wow is a celebration of all things rock, gem and mineral. Rockhound vendors and shoppers flock from around the world to sell and seek treasure — from raw stones to fine finished jewelry.

   More than 500 booths fill the nine acre QIA showgrounds during the five day show. Displays include the latest in rockhound equipment; sphere-polishing machines, automatic gold panners, metal detectors, jewelry making supplies; and the resulting beautifully crafted jewelry. Pow Wow vendors bring a mother lode of gemstones, geodes, gold, opals, sapphires, silver, turquoise and more. Some vendors bring freshly mined stones in their natural state; others sell jewelry, from fine to funky!

   Demonstrations include silver smithing, wire wrapping, gemstone carving and faceting, silver and gold chain making, beading, flint knapping and gold panning.

   Quartzsite Roadrunners Gem & Mineral Club hosts two rockhound field trips daily. Join the hunt for agates, jasper, birds-eye and banded rhyolite, alunite, desert roses, barite, marble, hematite and fossils. Sign up at the Gem Club booth, near the north-west corner of the QIA Community Building.
   Hungry? QIA volunteers serve three hot cafeteria-style meals daily. Have a seat in the dining room and relax with some good comfort food. In a hurry? Vendors wearing Pow Wow name tags can use the quick-serve line.

   Join us: The QIA uses at least 300 volunteers every year to help make the Pow Wow a success.  Volunteer cooks, food service, maintenance, sanitation, security positions are all available. Come to a pancake supper every Wednesday throughout the winter season from 5 - 6 p.m. and see what the fun’s all about.  Stay for the dance at 7 p.m. and kick up your heels!

   Quartzsite usually has the best weather in the country during Pow Wow. Estimates suggest some 4 million snowbirds flock through Quartzsite during January. Did I mention it’s a good idea to come early?

   Vendors:  Spaces are often sold out by October, but there is a possibility of last-minute sign-ups available.  The QIA requires merchandise must be at least 75% gem and mineral related. Sign up ASAP! Phone 928-927-6325 or e-mail powwow@tds.net.

   Admission, parking and shuttle service around the Pow Wow are free. Come join the fun and experience the many “facets” of rock hounding.

   The QIA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of Quartzsite. QIA folks incorporated in 1965 and were responsible for Quartzsite’s first fire station, ambulance, community center and even television reception.
   The QIA is at 235 E. Ironwood, one block south of Main Street between Mesquite and Palo Verde. Phone 928-927-6325 or go to www.qiaaz.org .

2009 QIA Pow-Wow vendor demonstrating equipment.  Vendors are very friendly and helpful and happy to answer your questions about equipment and supplies.

2009 QIA Pow-Wow Kitchen Volunteers who make the Pow-Wow a yummy experience.