Agate Days returns

Minnesota's largest celebration of the state gem - the Lake Superior agate - returns to Moose Lake this weekend with the Agate Days celebration Saturday and Sunday.

For those unfamiliar with our famous stone, the Lake Superior agate was named the official state gemstone in 1969. It is an unusually beautiful quartz stone banded with rich red and orange colors derived from iron ore in the soil. Most agates are about the size of a pea, but some are as big as bowling balls and weigh more than 20 pounds.

So hurry down to Moose Lake State Park to see the largest known Lake Superior agate, at the Agate and Geological Interpretive Center, where admission is free all weekend. Or check out the gem and mineral show in and around Riverside Arena Saturday (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Sunday (9 a.m.-3 p.m.).

A highlight of past Agate Days has been the Clark-Olsen Agate Stampede, which will return after a pandemic pause, at 3 p.m. Saturday. For the uninitiated: people line up on both sides of Elm Avenue in downtown Moose Lake and wait for two dump trucks to drive down the road, dropping all kinds of rocks and gravel, plus 400 pounds of agates, and hundreds of dollars in change. Once the dump trucks have passed, the crowds hustle into the street to comb through the rocky mess for hidden treasures.

Other Agate Days highlights Saturday include art and music at Moose Lake City Park 9 a.m-5 p.m. and a farmers market, crafts and vendors 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Our New Adventures.

There's also a pancake breakfast Saturday 7:30-10 a.m. at the Moose Lake City Park, hosted by Moose Lake Covenant Church, and a steak fry at the fire hall starting at 4 p.m.