On Sat June 21, 2014 the Coker Creek Tennessee GPAA chapter will be hosting our annual Gold Festival and Kid’s Day. This is one of the largest events of its kind in our area.

We open at 10 am (Eastern time) and close at 4 pm. This event happens rain or shine.  Anyone may attend this event. You do not have to be a GPAA member to attend. Entrance into our Festival is free to everyone. Parking is available for any size vehicle.

This event is for all ages. Yes, we are family and wheelchair friendly.

 

We ask everyone to attend to show your support for the Recreational Prospecting issues that are currently going on in the state of Tennessee. We plan to invite local TV and Newspapers. Photos and interviews will happen. If you have something to say, this will be the time.   

 

The following Prospecting demonstrations will take place on our GPAA Coker Creek leased property:

1. Gold panning

2. Dredging

3. Sluicing

4. Sucker Tubing

5. High Banking

6. Crevicing

7. Treasure/coin hunting (A special area will be set up with planted coins for the Kids to search for). We need to borrow metal detectors. If you have a detector to loan us, please bring it with you. Don’t forget to charge the batteries!

    

All who attend may pan for gold in Coker Creek that runs through our property and you can keep all the gold you find. Please bring your own gold panning supplies or buy some at the Festival.  

 

This will be a Pot Luck event. Each adult who brings a cooked food item for at least 12 people will eat for free. Lunch is $5.00 for adults who do not bring a food item. Kids under 18 eat FREE! You may also bring cold food: lunch meat, chicken, salad, desert, etc. All main dishes must be pre-cooked!

Our chapter will provide Hot Dogs, Burgers, drinks, condiments, chips, snacks, paper plates and utensils.

Please understand, we normally have hundreds who attend this event. This Pot Luck event has been very successful in the past due to the great food that was brought.

If you plan to bring food, please contact Chuck Pharis ASAP with your offer. He will take your suggestion and get back to you with a food confirmation 2 weeks before the event. chuck@pharis-video.com We will try and have a large variety of different foods items for everyone. If you are on a special diet, please bring your own food.

 

Local vendors will have booths selling prospecting and related supplies. Anyone may bring items for sale as long as they are related to prospecting, gems, treasure hunting and camping. We welcome new and used items.

 

We will have a short introduction and safety meeting at 10 am sharp. Please try and be there no later than 9:30 am so you can park and attend the meeting.

2014-15 Coker Creek chapter officer elections will take place at the start of the event. This should only take a few minutes.

If you are interested in running for any chapter office, please read another topic on our forum about that. http://cokercreekgpaa.com

You must be a GPAA member to run for office or to vote. There is a topic on our forum about chapter elections.

 

If anyone is interested in joining the GPAA we will have membership kits available at a special discount.

 

Free dry camping will be available to anyone from Friday May 20 to Sunday May 22. You may bring a tent, camper or motor home and there will be no charge to non-GPAA members. Someone will be available to direct you to a camping area on Friday or Sat. There will be no water, power or sewage available to dry campers. We will have 2 porta toilets and a hand washing station available to everyone. All non-GPAA campers must leave the property no later than 5 pm Sunday May 22 unless you are a guest of a GPAA member.

 

We will have a huge Fund Raiser and will offer tickets at only $1.00 each. We will have gold and gem bags, prospecting items, gem stones, and other prospecting related goodies in the Fund Raiser. This year we will have a beautiful gold nugget. Photos of the items will be posted on our forum a few weeks before the event.

If anyone has any items to donate, please contact Chuck Pharis.

 

There will be a special free door prize for every Kid under 18. We are looking for door prize donations.

 

We are currently looking for volunteers for all Festival positions. Please read the special topic on our forum about Festival volunteers. If you volunteer for any position you eat free!  We can’t put this even on without some help.

We really need 2 people to run the food tent and manage the pot luck. We also need someone to cook hot dogs and burgers. Other positions are also open.

 

This is an RSVP event only. Please email Chuck Pharis asap and RSVP the following information:

1. Your name and how many total in your party.

2. How many adults

3. How many Kids (Male and/or Female plus their ages). This helps us with the correct door prizes.

4. Your phone number

5. Your email address.

6. If you are interested in bringing food for the Pot Luck. (Final decisions/confirmations will be made 2 weeks before the event to your email address).

 

If you already signed the Festival sign-up sheet at one of our meetings, you do not need to RSVP.

 

We will take walk-ins at the last minute but you might be at the end of the line for food. We need to have an accurate number of people attending to buy food and make plans.

 

Everyone who attends must sign in and pick up a meal ticket. There will be a table near the cabin with information.

 

Directions are on the home page of our website. http://cokercreekgpaa.com

 

More information will be posted on our chapter web forum soon.

 

If you have any questions, please email or call Chuck Pharis at:

818-802-1603

chuck@pharis-video.com

 

Thanks, we hope to see you there!

Chuck Pharis

President: Coker Creek Tennessee GPAA chapter

Gold Festival Chairman