A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Most of the time, rock- hounds have to hit up gravel pits, freshly plowed fields or pebble-strewn beaches to find prime examples of the state gemstone, the Lake Superior agate. This weekend, all they have to do is head to downtown Moose Lake.
As part of the annual Moose Lake Agate Days, dump trucks will again travel down two blocks of Elm Avenue depositing all kinds of rocks and gravel, plus 400 pounds of agates, $400 in quarters and $100 in 50-cent pieces for the Clark-Olsen Agate Stampede at 3 p.m. Saturday. It’s easy to identify experienced stampeders as they often bring buckets of water or spray bottles to help identify the often dusty or dirty stones.
Organizers call it a “wild scramble of finders-keepers.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Agate Days celebration and there’s lots to do both Saturday and Sunday.
The Gem and Mineral Show runs through both days at Riverside Arena, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Art in the Park also runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, with free shuttle rides between two events. There’s also a kids’ dig at the mineral show for those age 8 and younger all weekend long.
Leading up to Saturday’s stampede, experts at the Moose Lake Public Library downtown will offer an agate and rock identification presentation 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Moose Lake State Park Geological Interpretive Center will host a free open house all day Saturday and Sunday with no state park sticker needed.
Rock pickers can get maps for gravel pits open to agate pickers for the weekend from the Moose Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.
Saturday morning kicks off with a pancake feed at Moose Lake Covenant Church, with the Five Sisters 5K run at 8 a.m.
Music lovers can enjoy the Blue Grass Jam from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at City Park, followed by the Firemen’s Steak Fry 4-7 p.m. Saturday.
