Prospectors’ Gemboree Winners and Supporters Announced

By Waymon Cox

Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! On Saturday, June 15, more than 800 park guests visited the Crater to search for diamonds and celebrate diamond miners in Arkansas during the 9^th Annual Prospectors’ Gemboree. Visitors of all ages enjoyed playing games and winning prizes during the day. Following is a list of this year’s game prize winners:

Diamond Digging Contest, sponsored by Home Improvement Center of Southwest Arkansas

Ages 5 & under

1^st place – Josiah from Little Rock, AR

2^nd place – Luke from Brandon, MS

3^rd place – Annelia from Brandon, MS

Ages 6-9

1^st place – Megan from Southaven, MS

2^nd place – Berkeley

3^rd place – Zoe

Ages 10-12

1^st place – Vivien from Cotton Valley, LA

2^nd place – Lily from Dahlonega, GA

3^rd place – Noah from Alba, TX

4^th place – Trista from Cotton Valley, LA

Diamond Toss, sponsored by Pawn Kings

Ages 5 & under

1^st place – Josiah from Little Rock, AR

2^nd place – Parker from Claredon, AR

Ages 6-9

1^st place – Reed from Godfrey, IL

2^nd place – Tanner from Tahlequah, OK

3^rd place – Mathilde from Sarasota, FL

Ages 10-12

1^st place – Trae from Tahlequah, OK

2^nd place – Sabrina from Weatherford, TX

3^rd place – Lily from Dahlonega, GA

Diamond Springs Splash, sponsored by Little Shamrock Motel

1^st place – Kiran & Joel from Chiang Mai, Thailand

2^nd place – Ari from Memphis, TN and Kalen from Chiang Mai, Thailand

3^rd place – Jessica & Benita from Parks, AR

Egg Toss, sponsored by First State Bank of Pike County and Cash Saver of Murfreesboro

1st place – Victor & Brayden from Bella Vista, AR

2^nd place – Matt & Megan from Trophy Club, TX

3^rd place – Monica & Rowan from Albuquerque, NM

Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest, sponsored by York Gary Autoplex

Ages 7-12

1^st place – Chris from Leesburg, VA (20’ 4”)

2^nd place – Emma from Booneville, AR (18’)

3^rd place – Ari from Memphis, TN (16’ 10.5”)

Ages 13 & up

1^st place – Hunter from Rayville, LA (29’ 5”)

2^nd place – Matt from Alma, AR (25’ 8”)

3^rd place – Roxanne from Booneville, AR (24’ 2”)

Park guests also searched for more than diamonds during the Crater’s 25^th Annual Prospectors’ Treasure Hunt. Starting on June 15, painted rocks and bottles were hidden throughout the diamond search area, redeemable for a variety of door prizes and prize packages. This year’s Treasure Hunt prizes were donated by the following businesses in Murfreesboro and Nashville:

Ace of Diamonds, Caddo Antiques, D & R Marine & RV Service, Dino Dig, Farmers Association, Feed Bin Café, Futrell Marine, Hawkins Variety Store, Ka-Do-Ha Indian Village, Miner’s Diner, Morning View Retreat, Murfreesboro Hardware, Pawn Kings, Queen of Diamonds Inn, Southern Dine, Swaha Lodge & Marina, Telinga’s Mexican Restaurant, and Western Sizzlin’

Prospectors’ Gemboree would not have been a success without the many contributions of time and effort from our local community. The Murfreesboro Chamber of Commerce sponsored and provided lunch for exhibitors at this year’s Famous Crater Diamonds Exhibit, and volunteers from Diamond Bank greeted visitors at our information table and helped with games during the event.

Thanks to everyone who attended or contributed to this year’s Prospectors’ Gemboree! Check out the calendar of events on our website at www.CraterofDiamondsStatePark.com, and make plans to attend a future program, workshop, or event.

Search area last plowed: July 3, 2019

Most recent significant rain: July 4, 2019

Diamond finds for the weeks of June 23 & 30, 2019 (100 points = 1 carat):

June 23 – Thom Bish II, California, MO, 15 pt. brown; Robert McDonald, Cedar Park, TX, 5 pt. brown

June 28 – Megan McClelen, Arlington, TX, 19 pt. brown; Kayla Oakeley, Abilene, TX, 19 pt. brown; Luke Shannon, Arlington, TX, 23 pt. brown; Janine Erhardt, Arkadelphia, AR, 1.00 ct. brown; Caleb Shannon, Abilene, TX, 26 pt. brown

July 4 – Troy Savage, Antlers, OK, 24 pt. white; Mike & Brooke Klawitter, Berlin, WI, 1 pt. yellow, 1 pt. white, 3 pt. white, 3 pt. white

July 5 – Edward Reed, Walker, LA, 11 pt. white; Veronica Reed, Walker, LA, 5 pt. brown; Ronald Stafford, Poplarville, MS, 1.56 ct. brown