Don't Forget the Quartzsite Rock Shows in January 2014

Everyone around here gets so excited about the Tucson Rock and Gem Shows that sometimes we forget about the Quartzsite shows - right out our back door!  I have always found lots of great rocks at the Quartzsite shows but the trick is to get there EARLY.  Parking is a pain so go early to get a good spot. 

Quartzsite is a small town, population about 2,000 people, in western Arizona.  it is about 20 miles east of the Colorado River on I-10.  Its been around over a hundred years.  In 1856, an early settler named Charles Tyson settled there after finding a source of water, he built a fort there to protect his water supply and it became known as Fort Tyson.  Fort Tyson became a popular stopover on the Ehrenburg - Prescott stagecoach route.  The area became known as Tyson's Wells.  Unfortunately, the stage stopped running and the town was abandoned.

Quartzsite started having rock and gem shows in the 1960s.  Back then people camped out, and it was wild and wooly.  Today, there are winter visitors showing up in multi-million dollar RVs and campers.  The town attracts over one million visitors every winter.  There is a veritable smorgasboard of over 2,000 vendors selling rocks, gems, minerals, fossils, jewelry, jewelry findings, and every else under the sun to create the world's largest open-air flea market and swap meet. 

This year's shows start EARLY - January 1 for one of the shows.  Like I said, get there early - before the shows open to get a good parking spot.  Drink coffee, eat doughnuts, plan your strategy while you wait.  Some of the shows open early so start a little early.

Before you go in - make a list to keep you on track -  what you need to buy, what you would like to buy, and maybe a couple of frivolous items.

Remember to bring:
List of what you need to buy
Cart for wheeling your purchases back to the car
Cash money and credit cards
Copy of Sales Tax Permit if you want to buy wholesale
Pencil and pad for remembering what you saw where and at what price
Folding stool or chair (stick in cart) - there are not always places to sit when you get tired
Hat - sometimes it is hot
Wear layers to take off if you need to
Bottle of water and high energy snacks
Fisherman's vest with lost of pockets to stash money, chap stick, water, business cards
Smart Phone or Ipad
Backpack to store those clothing layers that you took off

Shows for 2014
Jan. 1. - Feb 28     Desert Gardens Gem, Rock, and Mineral Show
Jan. 2 - Feb. 15    Prospectors Panorama
Jan. 3 - Feb. 12    Tyson Wells Rock and Gem Show
Jan. 6 - 26            The New Main Event
Jan. 22-26            QIA Pow Wow Gem and Mineral Show