This Contra Costa festival is a dazzling showcase for gems and minerals

Why weren’t the geologists hungry? Because they’d lost their apatite.

Haha! Now you have the perfect ice-breaker for the least jaded event of the season: The Contra Costa Mineral & Gem Society’s Mineral and Gem Show, which this year is celebrating the group’s amazing 75 years in existence. Truly, geology rocks.

Taking place at Centre Concord, the show is meant not just for collectors of glittery, hard things, but for anybody curious about the way the planet’s put together. “Step inside and explore a dazzling world of minerals, gems, fossils, meteorites, crystals, beads, jewelry and slabs from expert vendors and collectors,” the organizers write. “Discover Earth’s hidden beauty up close through live lapidary demonstrations, educational displays and interactive exhibits that bring geology to life.”

Attendees will enjoy trancing out in the popular Fluorescent Tent, where rocks glow like alien candy under UV light. There are door prizes, raffles, silent auctions and gifts and jewelry for holiday shopping. Kids can engage in games and rock painting. And for the first time, the society’s official mascot Diablo Dan will make an appearance – he’ll be posing at the photo booth. Make sure to tell him what a gneiss shirt he’s wearing.

Details: Show runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 8 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 9 at 5298 Clayton Road, Concord; $10 general admission ($9 seniors, age 12 and under free), ccmgsclub.com/show