CREEDE - The Creede and Mineral County Underground Mining Museum and Community Center was packed to the brim for three full days bringing rockhounds from all over the world to the tiny mountain town. Well over 40 vendors graced the halls of the caverns bringing people together for a common love of all things geological.

The show kicked off Friday as vendors set up tables and booths offering everything from hand cut and polished rocks and minerals to rough cut and natural state specimens for display or for art and crafts. Each vendor was welcoming guests, answering questions and identifying rocks and minerals for anyone looking for answers.

“As an artist in Colorado, I love coming here to see everything. It really is a wonderful opportunity to get new ideas and buy supplies. It’s the perfect time of year too because I am usually preparing for winter and all the projects I have lined up,” laughed one visitor who ventured down all the way from the front range.

Anyone who comes to the show will find stories like this and others from people of all walks of life and it’s the love of rocks that keep them coming back. The unique setting inside the underground mining museum and community center sets this show apart from all the others that take place throughout the state all year round.

Several guests also took advantage of the walking tour through the mining museum. The museum takes patrons through the caves which offer the perfect place for a mining museum. Guests could either book a tour with a guide or could opt for the personal tour that explains Creede’s mining history through a recorded tour.

Either way, the museum was packed with curious rockhounds looking to learn all about Creede’s unique past and mining techniques used for generations.

On both Friday and Saturday night, local BS Geology Rhonda Foale. Friday night featured a presentation of Creede’s planetary geology capturing the significance of how intense heat and plate tectonics caused the La Garita Caldera, which happened to be the third largest volcanic eruption in earth’s history.

On Saturday night Foale was back and gave a very intriguing presentation on the Colorado Plateau which included Creede and seven other National Parks and stretches across most of the southwest from Bryce Canyon to the Grand Canyon.

The weekend was a wonderful success and heralded the last few weeks of summer in the Colorado Mountains. Next up for Creede will be the annual Salsa Fiesta and Labor Day weekend festivities. For more information, or a full schedule of events, visit www.creede.com.