by Barley Lewis-McCabe
Geologists, rock enthusiasts, big spenders – or a beautiful combination of the three — saw the 51st annual Cal Poly Humboldt Geology Club Rock Auction on Friday, Dec. 5.
Brooke Stafford, senior geology major and geology club president calls it a pretty big deal.
“The Geology Club mainly revolves around the rock auction,” Stafford said. “It’s an annual event that happens every year and many people look forward to it.”
Entering the green and gold room felt like a new world made with every rocker in mind. Every table was lined with a series of flat rocks to hold down the black tablecloth while white-hot, yellow lights beamed down, illuminating the crevices, nooks, crannies and beauty marks of every rock in the room. The walls were mostly glass and the room gave the feeling of being a geological specimen in a display case.
Jay Putton, Humboldt State University (HSU) geology class of 1999 and 20 time rock auction participant, spoke on why he’s such a big rock bidder.
“Well, I owe the geology department a lot for everything that I learned, and I want to give back to the geology department and all the students,” Putton said.
The energy was unlike any other auction. Gone was the sentiment of victory at any cost, replaced by a friendly — albeit, competitive — race to see who could give the most money to the students and who wanted the coolest rock.
Charlie Narwold, 2001 HSU geology masters program graduate, emphasized the importance of keeping the event friendly.
“Sometimes you have to pick and choose when you want to outbid somebody,” Narwold said. “You don’t want to just come in and outbid all the students that are trying to get on with something special. People that pursue geology can be very passionate about their work. I think that’s reflected in the attitude you see in the geology department [and] the geology club. I presume they still have a thriving geology club — looking at this attendance just attests to the fact that people are stoked.”
Master of Ceremony, Bryce Hunt, announced the final item: a genuine ammonite shell.
“This shell used to dominate the sea, and now, it’s encased in amber for your enjoyment,” Hunt said.
It didn’t take long for the bidding war to begin.
“115,” Hunt said, pointing to the crowd.
“120,” Someone shouted.
“130,” Hunt asked. “130! 145… 160, 165? 165.” There was the rare moment of silence. “Going once, Going twice.”
“170,” someone shouted.
The game was back on. Eventually they got up to $225, which broke the rock auction record. Local rock enthusiast Bob Angus was one of those outbid on the shell.
“It was such a great event,” Angus said. “These people really believe in this rock stuff.”
Barley is the opinionated opinion editor, photographer and an untraditional reporter who focuses on social change and stories with a real human impact. If you’d like to reach the grooviest dude in the newsroom email bl258@humboldt.edu.
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