Category: Symposium

October 10-12, 2025
Ellensburg, Washington
Online registration is now ready to go!
https://pnwfm.square.site/

Daytime Events

ALL daytime events on Saturday and Sunday will be held at Discovery Hall on the Central Washington University campus. These events include:

• Saturday and Sunday talks in the large lecture hall
• Mineral displays and silent auctions in the Intro Geology Lab classroom
• CWU geology student poster session (NEW for 2025!)
• Catered boxed lunch and lunchtime auction! Lunches will include a sandwich/wrap, chips, cookie, and water. We will also have a selection of soda available. If you’d like a boxed lunch, choose either a Southwest Turkey Wrap or a Hummus and Quinoa wrap during registration. Boxed lunches will be delivered to our location in CWU and can be eaten as we enjoy our auction. (NEW for 2025!)

Saturday Evening vendor hall at the hotel

NEW HOTEL: SureStay Hotel by Best Western Ellensburg. See details below.

• PNWFM will have a dedicated “hospitality” room in the vendor hall for member check in and questions, and will have light refreshments available during the evening as well as other plans to be determined. (NEW for 2025!)
• No Saturday evening banquet this year due to logistical challenges. Attendees are invited to explore Ellensburg for dinner options that suit your own preferences. More time for visiting with our vendors! (NEW for 2025!)

SureStay Hotel by Best Western Ellensburg

Reservation Information:
We have a contract with the SureStay Hotel by Best Western Ellensburg – 1500 Canyon Road, Ellensburg, WA.  You will need to call the hotel directly at 509-962-6888 and reference Friends of Mineralogy to make your reservation. Reservations are for October 10 and 11. Club rate prices are $149 for a single queen and $160 for a double queen room plus 10.6% tax. The cut off date is September 19. 

• It is very important that all room dealers have a reservation by this date and have communicated with Thea Stendar (theasmineralworld@hotmail.com). On September 20, we must to provide a list of room dealers to the hotel so that they can assign rooms on the first floor. If you have not reserved your room by the 19th of September, we cannot guarantee that you will be on the ground floor.
• The hotel address is 1500 Canyon Road, Ellensburg, WA 98926.  It is just a short distance past the Red Lion where we stayed last year.
• Continental breakfast is included.

Prices

Symposium Registration	Price
Symposium + Membership + Lunch (Southwest Turkey Wrap)	$127
Symposium + Membership + Lunch (Hummus & Quinoa Wrap)	$127
Symposium + Membership – No Lunch	$105
Full-Time Student Symposium – NO membership, NO Lunch	FREE

Add-Ons	Price
Room Dealer Add-On (Paid Symposium Required	$25
Extra or Student Lunch (Southwest Turkey Wrap)	$22
Extra or Student Lunch (Hummus & Quinoa Wrap)	$22
Extra or Student membership (included in paid symposium)	$20

Notes on prices:

• All paid symposium registrations include 1 year of PNWFM membership.
• Room dealers: The $25 Add-On is in addition to paid registration.
• There is a $10 discount on paid symposium registration if you register by September 30.

Jessica Robertson somehow found time during our Golden Memories symposium last weekend to live blog the events as they were happening! You can see her captioned photo essay here: mindat: PNWFM Live Report 2024

This magazine-format publication was prepared by PNWFM to help commemorate and celebrate the history of Friends of Mineralogy mineral symposia in the Pacific Northwest. Golden Memories contains approximately 100 pages of archive documents, memories and photographs for all 50 years of PNWFM symposia and club events, 1975-2024.

We will have a limited number of these magazines for sale at our October symposium, October 18-20, 2025–but if you can’t wait or can’t attend, you can order online now. Click here to preview the contents and order today:  https://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/10366240/2a45f09b616c1277c7857198c69b4d2150744f36

Precious Metals and Golden Memories

October 18-20, 2024
Online registration is now ready to go!
https://pnwfm.square.site/

Notes on this year’s symposium

1. Most important: This year’s symposium will be held in ELLENSBURG, Washington! We are no longer in Kelso! Details below.
2. Full-time students may attend the talks free of charge. Please be prepared to show student ID. Students may become members of PNWFM and/or attend the banquet for the same costs as regular members: $20 and $25, respectively.
3. The Banquet menu is To Be Determined. The banquet and live auction will be held at the Ellensburg Red Lion hotel.
4. Speakers and Talks will be announced soon!

2024 Dates

October 18:
Afternoon setup and on-site registration
Room dealers open well into the evening (at Ellensburg Red Lion)

October 19:
Lectures at Discovery Hall
Evening banquet and live auction
Room dealers open well into the evening (at Ellensburg Red Lion)

October 20:
Morning Lectures at Discovery Hall
Breakdown cleanup

Locations

Sympsium talks
Discovery Hall
Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington

Room Dealers, Saturday evening Banquet and Live Auction
Ellensburg Red Lion

Costs

There is a $10 discount on paid symposium if you register before October 1.

• Symposium + Dinner + PNWFM membership $130
• Symposium (NO Meal) + PNWFM membership $105
• Full-Time STUDENT (NO membership or dinner) Free with student ID
• Extra or Student dinner $25
• Extra or Student membership $20 (included in paid symposium)
• Add-on Room Dealer (requires paid Symposium) $25