Live like a rock star
Don’t get caught knapping at the Yachats Agate Show
Candi Claussen
Attention rock hounds and fossil fiends: Yachats is gearing up for its “eleventh ever” Agate Festival, to be held this Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 13 and 14, at the Yachats Commons.
Known for its natural beauty year around, Yachats has earned the moniker “Gem of the Oregon coast,” and recent winter storms have revealed riches uncovered by heavy rains and winds, making January a prime time for agate hunting.
This year, more than 35 vendors from Oregon, Washington and California will be displaying and selling rough specimens and finished artistic creations of minerals, gems, crystals and fossils.
“We welcome pretty much anything from Mother Earth,” Committee Chair Candi Claussen said. “We will have beautifully carved specimens but also fun things like soaps that look like an amethyst or an agate.”
Demonstrations throughout the weekend will include wire wrapping and flint knapping.
“The demos this year are focused on teaching kids how to wrap and knap,” Claussen said.
“They will be by a family that travels around and their kids will be doing the demos, so it will be kids teaching kids, which is pretty cool.”
The festival features lots of other fun for families, including family-oriented rock hounding discussions and a free dinosaur digging kit for kids to take home. A disc golf challenge for all ages will give opportunities to win free rocks.
Curious about finds you’ve made on your own? Get your local coastal rocks identified by the festival’s very own Rock Doc.
Speakers during the weekend will start on Saturday with Ricky Ede, a San José State University student studying lava flows on Axial Seamount and Columbia River Basalt on the Oregon Coast and Marli Miller, an Earth Sciences faculty member at the University of Oregon since 1997. She is a geologist, photographer and author of the new second edition of “Roadside Geology of Oregon” and “Oregon Rocks,” a guide to 60 amazing geological sites.
Also on Saturday, the Yachats Area Presbyterian Church, known as the “church of the agate windows” will offer access to the sanctuary where six large agate panels are displayed. A volunteer will be available to tell their story.
On Sunday, Doug Sestrich, a Central Coast beach ranger for the past eight years, will offer tips and tricks for beach safety for beginner agate hunters.
Raffle tickets will be available during the festival for scoring many amazing prizes.
“So many people wanted to donate to the event so we will have a huge raffle this year,” Claussen said.
Proceeds from the raffle and t-shirt sales will be donated to the Cape Perpetua Collaborative.
Since the festival began in 2012, it has been a big success, drawing visitors from throughout the northwest and beyond. Merchants, restaurants and lodging providers enjoy participating in the weekend’s activities.
“We’ve extended out to the pavilion this year because we needed more space,” Claussen said.
“Last year we had about 4,500 attendees. We were pleasantly surprised and expect at least that many this year, too.”
The festival will run from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 13 and 14, at the Yachats Commons, 441 Hwy. 101 N. For more information, go to yachatsagatefestival.com.
Saturday, Jan. 13
11:30 am - Ricky Ede, lava flows on Axial Seamount and Columbia River Basalt on the Oregon Coast.
12:30 to 2:30 pm - Tour of Yachats Area Presbyterian Church.
1:30 pm - Marli Miller, author of Roadside Geology of Oregon and Oregon Rocks.
Sunday, Jan. 14
1:30 pm - Doug Sestrich, beach safety for beginner agate hunting.