January 2009

Friday, 1/9
General Meeting, 8:00 pm in Room 131 of Building K at the College of Dupage. Scot Williams, Burpee Museum Collections Manager, will present “Burpee Museum Discoveries”.

Saturday,1/10 Mineralogy Meeting, 7:30 pm at College of DuPage Bldg. K, Rm 131.  We will be watching a video about minerals.
Saturday, 1/17
Paleontology Study Group, 7:30, College of Dupage Building K – Room 131 “The Cambrian Era by Tom Williams”

Wed. 1/21 – 5/5 Introduction to Jewelry Making, Harper Community College.

Friday, 1/23    Board Meeting, 7:30, COD K-131

Saturday, 1/24 Archaeology Study Group, 7:30, Cllege of Dupage Building K – Rm 131. Indians of Central Wisconsin by Sheila Bergmann.

February 2009

Mon. 2/2 – 4/6 Silversmithing. Elmhurst Park District. 7-9 pm. $113.

Thursday, 2/12 Charles Darwin in a Rare Appearance, Waubonsee Community College, 7 pm, Free.

Thurs. 2/12 – 2/19 Basic Stringing, Elmhurst Park District. 7-9 pm. $40.

Friday, 2/13
General Meeting, 8:00 pm, COD, Rm K 131. Speaker: Cary Easterday, Instructor and Assistant Curator, Northeastern Illinois University.

Saturday, 2/14 Mayslake Field Trip and Pizza Party, 10:30 am to approximately 1:00, Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st Street, Oak Brook, IL * Reservations required.

MicroMineral Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131. We will be watching and discussing a video on agates.

Sat. 2/21 Rocks & Minerals of Illinois, Lizzadro Museum

Saturday, 2/21 Paleontology Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131.  Chris Cozert will speak on Mazon Creek flora and fauna.  Bring your Mazon Creek fossils!

Friday, 2/27 Board Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131

Saturday,2/28 Archaeology Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 131, “Otzi the Ice Man” by Vickie and Lexie Kiamco.

March 2009

Sunday, 3/1 Orland Park Rock, Fossil, Gem & Mineral Show, 9am-4pm, Orland Park Civic Center, 14750 Ravinia, Orland Park, IL

Tues, 3/5 – 5/5 Cutting and Polishing Stones, Elmhurst Park District. 7-9 pm. $113. Designed for all levels of experience.

Thurs. 3/5    Beaded Earrings, Elmhurst Park District. 7-9 pm. $20.

Sat. 3/7    Dinosaur Discoveries, Lizzadro Museum

Sat – Sun, 3/7-8 Burpee Museum’s Paleofest,10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Speakers include, Dr. Christohper Brochu, Nancy Englehart-Moore, Dr. Scott Foss, Dr. John Pojeta, Dr. Robert Reisz, Mike Triebold and Holly Woodward.Family workshops start at 11 am both days. 6$ per person, Burpee members free.

Sat – Sun 3/14 – 15 ESCONI Gem, Mineral  & Fossil  Show, College of Dupage, Building K – Commons, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am – 4. Free. Our show will include the following dealers:  Rib River Fossils,
Exclusive Inspiration, Mineral Miner, Southwest Treasures, Lavin’s Gem
and Jewelry, Blackberry Creek Minerals, Paleo Gallery and Gem Trees By Lois and Rocks Rocks.

Sat, 3/14 Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society will conduct its 2009 Silent Auction, 5:30-10:00 pm, 4056 N. Pulaski in Chicago

Thurs. 3/19 Multi Strand Beaded Necklace. Elmhurst Park District. 7-9 pm. $30

Sat.3/21 Paleontology Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131

Saturday, 3/28 Archaeology Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 131,
“What Is Buried Under the Indiana or Michigan Dunes?” by David and
Sheila Bergmann.

April 2009

Sat. 4/4 Field Trip #1 April 4, 2009 – Jacob’s Geodes, Hamiliton, Illinois 9:00 A.M.
Meet at 9:00 am at 823 E. County Rd. 1220 in Hamilton, Illinois at Jacob’s Geodes. $16 for a full 5-gallon pail. Please call John Good at 630-483-2363 for reservations or e-mail at esconi@hotmail.com

Saturday, 4-4 MAPS Fossil Expo, Western Illinois University WIU, Macomb Illinois. This year’s theme is Crinoids.  Fossil dealers, silent auction, live auction, displays and lectures.

Sunday, 4/5 -14 College of Dupage Continuing Education Jewelry Course. Wire Wrap I Code #34303 $115, 7-9:50 pm. Tools and wire provided. Beginners welcome.

Thur. 4/9 & 4/16 Field Museum, The Aztec World Lecture Series, 6 pm.

Friday, 4/10 General Meeting, New Hadrosaur Find and Their Bearing on Cretaceous Land Bridges and Macroevolutionary Trends of the Group by Bucky Gates, Assistant Professor, Lake County College, 8:00 pm, College of Dupage, Rm K 131Saturday,

4/11 MicroMineral Meeting, Mineral Oddities in Honor of the Tuscon Gem Show 2009, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131. Bring your mineral oddities.

Sat – Sun, 4/18 -19 44th Annual Show, Des Plaines Valley Geological Society, Saturday 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and Sun 10 am to 4 pm. Des Plaines Park District Leisure Center, 2222 Birch St.

Saturday, 4/18 Paleontology Meeting, Silurian Period in Northeatern Illinois by Dave Dolak, Esconi Member.  Bring your Silurian fossils. 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131

Friday, 4/24 Board Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131

Saturday, 4/25 Archaeology Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 131,
“Settlers of Williamsburg, Virginia by Marge Brazda, Vickie and Lexie Kiamco.

May 2009

Friday, 5/8 General Meeting, Speaker: Dr. Lindsay Zanno, Resurrecting Dinosaurs – How new science is bringing ancient beasts to life. 8:00 pm, COD, Rm K 131

Sat. 5/9 Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, Elmhurst, IL “Collecting in the US”

Saturday, 5/9 MicroMineral Meeting, Flourescent Minerals, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131

Sat. 5/9 Across Our Continental Divide, by Dave Dolak, Columbia College, Morton Arboretum Education, Thornhill Education Center,  8:00 am – 5:00 pm, $89 members, $112 non members, (630) 719-2468.

Sat. 5/16 Field Trip #2 May 16, 2009 Braceville, Illinois 9:00 AM Mazon Creek Fossils

Saturday, 5/16 Paleontology Meeting, Dave Carlson: “The Search for Dinosaurs in Illinois” 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131

Sun. 5/17 lizzadro Museum: “Museum Day in Elmhurst”, 1-5pm,

Sun. 5/17 Field Trip #3 May 17, 2009 Braidwood, Illinois Mazon Creek Fossils

Friday, 5/22 Board Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131

Saturday, 5/23 Archaeology Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 131

Sat-Sun, 5/23-24 Chicagoland Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, Dupage County Fairgrounds, Wheaton, IL, Dealers, demonstrations, eshibits, kids corner, silent auction, food available. Saturday 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. Adults $5, Seniors & Students $3, Children under 13 free.

June 2009

Friday, 6/12 General Meeting, 8:00 pm, COD, Rm K 131, Speaker: Dr. Bob Martin from the Field Museum, “From Primate Ancestry to Human Origins.”

Saturday,6/13 MicroMineral Meeting, Geodes, Illinois and Beyond, David Bergmann will be bringing his geode splitter. 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131

Sat 6/20 ESCONI Field Trip – Braceville  Meet at 8:00 A.M. Saturday, June 20th, at the BP Amoco in Coal City. No Age Limit.  Hard Hats not required. Contact John Good at “(630) 483-2363” for reservations or e-mail at esconi@hotmail.com

6/20 Geode Collecting Field Trip, Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, Reservations Required: (630) 833-1616.

6/26-6/28 Hard Rock Geode Dig Family Fun, Montebelo Access Area, Hamilton, IL Guided Hunts, Swap & BVendors, Displays, Geode Cracking, Speakers, www.firstcrackgeodes.com or www.hamiltonillinois.org

6/26-6/28 44th Annual Gem Mineral Fossil Show, Monroe County Indiana. Sponsored by the Lawrence County Rock Club. (812)….

July 2009

No meetings.

August 2009

8/1-8/3 34th Annual Upper Peninsula Gem and Mineral Show, Ishpeming Rock and Mineral Club, Michigan. Demonstrations and field trips.

8/2 – 8/9 Copper Country Mineral Retreat, Houghton, MI, a week of mineral collecting and more.

Friday, 8/28 Board Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131

September 2009

9/5 & 9/7 EARTH’S GARAGE SALE #2

Friday, 9/11 General Meeting, 8:00 pm, COD, Rm K 131, Speaker: Jack Wittry will speak on Antediluvian Phytology, 

Illustrated by a Collection of the Fossil Remains of Plants Peculiar to

the Coal Formation of Mazon Creek

Saturday, 9/12 MicroMineral Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131. The geode splitter will be back, plus a video and a show and tell.

Saturday, 9/19 Paleontology Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131. Show and tell – bring your Mazon Creek jellyfish.

Friday, 9/25 Board Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131

Fri-Sun 9/25-9/27 Hard Rock Geode Dig Family Fun September 25-27, 2009 Montebello Access Area—Hamilton, Illinois Guided Hunts 2009 2—Friday, September 25th, 2—Saturday, September 26th 1 Sunday, September 27th. Swap & Vendor Areas—Displays—Geode Cracking Speakers –Identification– On-Site Breakfast & Lunch For more information contact Mike Shumate (573) 5… or geodefest@hotmail.com www.firstcrackgeodes.com or www.hamiltonillinois.org

Sat. 9/26 Field Museum, Mazon Creek Fossil Hunt, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. $40, members $28, Pre-Registration Required

Sat & Sun 9/26 & 9/27 Collecting Mazon Creek Fossils Meet at 8:00 A.M. Saturday and or Sunday at the BP Amoco in Coal City. No Age Limit. Hard Hats not required. Take I-55 to Exit 236 (Coal City). Take a right onto Highway 113 (Division Street). Go west to Broadway Street and Division in Coal City. We will be collecting Mazon Creek concretions from an old spoil pile on private property. Hard hats are not required. Boots are recommended. An Estwing rock hammer is the best tool. A small shovel or pick is helpful. Knee pads, backpacks, fanny packs, extra clothes (you will get wet and muddy) are also a plus. Bring a bucket for the fossils.   Note: Field trips are for members only – how to become a member Collecting from this private property can only be done during the time permitted by the owner for the group. Also bring insect repellant. contact John Good at 1-6… for reservations or e-mail at esconi@hotmail.com

Sat, 9/26 Lizzadro Museum. Learn about the world famous Mazon Creek fossils from Illinois with Don Baumgartner. These Coal Age fossils (350 million years old) are a unique part of Illinois geologic history and the fossil record. Learn where to collect these fossils and search for a Mazon Creek fossil to take home. Lecture/Activity – Ages 6 yrs. to Adult – 60 minutes – 2 p.m. $4.00 per person, Museum Members Free – Reservations Recommended 

Saturday, 9/26 Archaeology Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 131,
“When Did the Alphabet First Appear” by Bryan Nugent and John Good.

October 2009

Sat. 10/3 Day of Astronomy. The event is FREE and open to the public. It will be held at Waubonsie Valley High School from 12:00 noon to 11:00 pm. Throughout the day there will be activities for all ages including solar and night telescope observing weather permitting), exhibits (with free stuff), lectures (from Alder, FermiLab, & U of C), planetarium programs (new to the planetarium), how to choose a telescope workshop, door prizes and more!

Friday, 10/9 ESCONI General Meeting, 8:00 pm, COD, Rm K 131, Speaker, Jack MacRae, who has been interpreting the natural and cultural history of the Chicago region for nearly 30 years.  He is currently a naturalist and raptor handler at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center. He will speak the archaeological history of Illinois, which is as rich as any region in the world. His talk will include discussion on paleo/archaic hunters and gatherers, early villages and agriculture, mound builders and petroglyphs in Illinois.

Saturday,10/10 MicroMineral Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131. The subject will be Macromineralogy of the Upper Pennisula – focus on the Copper Country.

Mon, 10/12 Peggy Notebaert Museum, Join special outdoor host, REI, as they set up camp at the museum. Come
with your family to learn map and compass skills and explore our
interactive, indoor camp site. Free with Museum admission.

Saturday, 10/17 Paleontology Meeting, 7:30 pm, Show and Tell – Mazon Creek Worms. College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131

Friday, 10/23 Board Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131

Sat. 10/24 LIzzardro Museum, Elmhurst, “Stone Mosaic Workshop”, Experience making contemporary stone mosaics.12 -4 pm, 16 yrs. to adult, $35/person. Reservations required.

Saturday,10/24 Archaeology Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 131,
“Migration Theory – East Coast of North America” by Betsy Rogers.

November 2009

Sat. 11/7    Burpee Museum, “Where Have All the Dinosaurs Gone?” For ages 6 – 10, must be accompanied by an adult

Wed. 11/11 ESCONI “birthday” – 60 years of promoting interest in the earth sciences.

Thurs. 11/12 Elgin Public Museum, “Digging Up the Past”,  Catherine Bird, PhD, RPA, an archaeologist affiliated
with Midwest Archaeological Research Services will speak on “Long’s 1823 Expedition through Elgin, an 1840 General Land Office
Plat, and a Late Prehistoric Site in Sleepy Hollow,” focuses on the
local natural history and archaeology right outside our door.  7:00 p.m., $5.00 fee.

Saturday, 11/13 General Meeting, 8:00 pm, COD, Rm K 131, Speaker: Dr. David Malone, who is Professor and Chair of the Department of Geography-Geology at Illinois State University.  He has been at ISU since completing his PhD at the University of Wisconsin in 1994.  He teaches courses in structural geology, stratigraphy, and field geology. Dr. Malone will be speaking on: Exploring for Manto-Style Pb-Zn-Ag Deposits in the Forty-Mile Range, East Central Alaska.

Saturday, 11/14 MicroMineral Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131. The subject will be Micromineralogy of the Upper Pennisula – focus on the Copper Country, which will include explanation of how to create a micro mineral specimen.

Sat. 11/21 Lizzadro Museum, Elmhurst, Lapidary Activity Day, Learn more about lapidary art and making jewelry with members of the West Suburban Lapidary Club.  12-4, All Ages, Free Admission

Sat. 11/21 Elgin Public Museum, Elgin, “Cutting Edge Flintknapping”. This ancient technology, used to create
stone tools such as arrow tips, was almost lost. Flintknappers have
kept this tradition alive. Watch as Ken Geier demonstrates how to make
tools by chipping away stone. Registration required. 2:00 p.m. Free.

Saturday, 11/21 Paleontology Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131, Devonian Period Paleontology. Bring your Mazon Creek arthropods, excluding shrimp and including insects and millipedes.

December 2009
Friday, 12/4 Annual ESCONI celebration, 5:30-7:30 pm, Greek Islands West, 300 East 22nd Street, Lombard, Illinois, (630) 932-4545. Secret Santa grab bag (optional).  Please RSVP by December 1st to Rob Sula,(630) 236-9695, sulasaurus@comcast.net. After the celebration, ESCONI will have a special 60th anniversary meeting and presentation. College of Dupage, Room K-131, 8:00 pm. Sat. 12/5   
Lizzadro Museum, Elmhurst, IL, Create a Gem Tree, Fee $20/person. 9yrs.-adult, 1- 3pm. Details on the Lizzadro museum website.

Saturday, 12/12 Mineral – Micromount Study Group Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage,
Building K – Rm 131. Bring three minerals and four labels for the
identification contest – fabulous prizes for all! John’s Ice Cream
will be served.

	December 2009
Sat. 12/12	Mineral – Micromount Study Group Meeting, 7:30 pm, College of Dupage, Building K – Rm 131. Bring three minerals and four labels for the identification contest – fabulous prizes for all! John’s Ice Cream will be served.
Sat. 12/19	“Nature’s Doll House Minatures” at Lizzadro Museum from 1-3 p.m. $20/person, Museum members $15. 10 years to adult