MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — As the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase is underway, Downtown Tucson is where many will flock to. If you go north of the main show, you’ll find the Rock Miners Co-Op in Marana.
The show’s promoter, Sunny Davis says their focus is on the “diggers and doers.”
“They’re (vendors) either miners that mine their own stones and minerals or the other option is that they do something with the stones and minerals such as make jewelry, or make spheres or make art in some way with the stones,” Davis said.
Her dad, Alby ‘Smokey’ Davis started the show 12 years ago.
“He always wanted for there to be a place for people that were miners,” Davis said.
She stepped in six years ago to continue building on her dad’s dream after he suffered a stroke.
“Every single vendor that’s here that sells the different stones, rocks, and minerals that they have – it’s their passion and their livelihood and I cared about continuing on with my father’s legacy and what his original goal was in creating the Rock Miner’s Co-Op,” she said.
As a miner with Mountain Men Minerals, Zach Bernhardt travels to the show from Colorado each year.
“This is where miners are. This is where the guys that dig it out of the ground and gals too come to sell their wear after a whole year of digging,” Bernhardt said. “The comradery of the Miners Co-Op is unlike any other show we’ve ever done. It’s a family here.”
Gabriel McNeely, a miner with Piradical Mining LLC who mines in Arizona, shared a similar sentiment. He says it’s his favorite show he attends.
“The people here are just genuine,” McNeely said. “ Most people have either collected or mined the material they get here and so it’s coming straight from the source.”
The show is located at Sports Park Tucson near I-10 and Ina Rd.
“We’re off the beaten path in some way, because we’re not in the middle of Downtown Tucson, but we do that so pricing for the vendors to be here is less expensive essentially to set up here and to sell their stones or jewelry,” Davis said.
The outdoor show featuring 45 vendors is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and runs through February 16.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
