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Howard Johnson/La Quinta Show

This show is located along the westbound strip of the I-10 Freeway. The show is a dense agglomeration of large and small tents, outdoor tables, and motel rooms with outdoor overflow. The buzz and activity at this show is amazing, with the density of dealers and pedestrians truly fascinating. Most of the dealers are foreign, and there is a considerable represenation of Brazilian, Chinese, Pakistani, Morrocan, and Indian dealers. There are gemstone and bead dealers combined with wholesale and retail mineral establishments. Here are some pictures from the show:


Side wall of the bustling Howard Johnson
    


The inner courtyard of the Howard Johnson
    


The back of the Howard Johnson with  the La Quinta in the back
Note the sliced and polished Larimar on the foreground onthe table
 


More dealers in the Howard Johnson parking lot
   


Tents in the parking lot of  the La Quinta
   

Rapa River Gem & Mineral Show

From the Pueblo Show I walked north just a little bit to the Rapa River show in the Days Inn. This was my first time here, and it was bustling with activity. There are plenty of outdoor dealers and a large indoor exhibition arena. This show is mostly gems, beads, and the mineral dealers are all foreign, with Brazilian dealers being the most prevalent.


Large Billboard promoting the NY/NJ Show, which is going to be a mega-event in April
The billboard is right above the Days Inn Hotel sign for the Rapa River show
  


Tents to the South of the Days Inn, mostly Brazilian Amethyst and Agate dealers
  


Row of tents in the background
  


Beautiful Brazilian Agates
  


Large sliced Brazilian Amethyst Geodes and Citrine
  


The motel courtyard
   


Bustling activity in the motel courtyard
 


Another view of the motel courtyard, with some large Brazilian Quartz

The Pueblo Show

The Pueblo Show is a great show. Although many of the dealers are beads and holistic, there are still some great finds and pleasant company here. There is also an "International Fine Mineral Building" on the south side, which has some well-known dealers that have recently taken residency in this show. The atmosphere at this show is very laid-back, as apparent from the pictures listed below. When the weather is nice it makes this show all the more pleasant!


Entrance to the Pueblo Show at the Riverpark Inn
 


Tents in the outdoor courtyard
The tents are mostly gemstone and bead dealers
 


Pool with tents in the background and the NY/NJ Show Highway Billboard
 


The relaxed and very pleasant atmosphere at the show
 


People enjoying the outdoors at the show
I took a pleasant lunch break in this area
   


Tents near the pool
Note the deep blue sky and beautiful palm trees
 


Inside the main large tent
Mostly gem and jewelry dealers
 


Tents near the pool
Note the deep blue sky and beautiful palm trees
 


These dealers have wares in their hotel rooms,
and have more right outside their rooms underneath overhangs
 


Tents near the pool
Note the deep blue sky and beautiful palm trees
   


Large tent with giant polished Quartz
  


Steve Bookbinder's Amazing Display of South American Quartz and Amethyst
This show is worthy of a vist just for seeing this alone!
  


Giant Brazilian Quartz at Steven Bookbinder
It is taller then the tall person standing next to it!
Note the International Fine Mineral Building in the Background
   


Hershel in front of his poster promoting the Minerals.net contest
This is Rob Lavinsky's 50% off room in the
International Fine Mineral Building
This specimen was acquired from Rob Lavinsky

Tucson Gem & Mineral Show TM Setup

I came to the Tucson Gem & Mineral ShowTM in the Tucson Convention Center on Wednesday, February 13, to drop off our flyers for the main show. It was fascinating to see all the dealers setting up, so I took some pictures to share with everyone. It was also interesting to see all the special exhibits empty. This means that all the special exhibits are setup in just one day!

The 22nd Street Show

The Tucson 22nd Street show is a relatively new show on the corner of 22nd Street and the I-10 Freeway. The show is located inside a HUGE tent which you cannot miss while driving in Tucson. This show has a diverse variety of dealers in here, from mineral, gemstone, bead, and fossil dealers. There were some amazing large fossils present at show which were especially noteworthy.

I had attempted to take a photo of the enormous tent from the outside, but the perspective was missed in my photo, so I only have indoor photo shots:


Inside the massive tent
 


More views of the show
 


Just look how far down the tent goes
 


Amazing dinosaur and sea turtle fossil
 


Enormous Quartz crystals from Arkansas
 


The show promoters (R-L): Lowell, Christine, and Russel
 


Hershel with Lowell Carhart
 


Minerals.net Giveaway cards on the information table
 


Huge poster promoting the NY-NJ show in April