Geode Family Fest
Presents
18th Annual Geode Family Fest
September 23, 24 & 25, 2022
*First Christian Church Parking Lot * 3476 Main Street * Keokuk, Iowa*
Geode Identification • Food • Family Fun
Thursday night Early Attendee Orientation and Registration plus 3 days of geode hunting with experienced guides to some locations not normally hunted throughout the year!
Registration: All participants must be registered to receive your official wristband! The Registration Fee is $15.00 per adult (16 years of age and older) and $5.00 per youth (15 years of age and younger). The Registration Fee allows you admission to the Thursday night orientation, 1 morning guided hunt and 1 afternoon guided hunt on Friday and Saturday, and 1 morning guided hunt on Sunday. An optional Thursday evening orientation will be held at 7:00 p.m. for early and/or first-time attendees inside the First Christian Church Fellowship Hall with an registration from 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. At the event, your first stop at the event is the Registration Tent where you will sign in and receive your Official Event Admission Wristband. You only need to register once but are required to have the Official Event Admission Wristband on your person during the entire event.
Geode Hunting Site Selection: After signing in at the Registration Table, go to the Geode Hunt Site Selection Tent. You are required to select a site to hunt, approximately one hour prior to the actual hunt. Landowners and Hunt Guides will assist you in determining the most appropriate site for you and/or your group. Each site will be labeled “Easy”, “Medium” or “Hard” with a brief description. Site selection is done prior to every hunt.
The Hunt: The hunts will be held, weather permitting. You are responsible for your own transportation to and from the hunt site. A Hunt Guide will lead a caravan of hunters to the site and be available while at the site. Announcements will be made when it’s time for your caravan to leave. Your caravan & Hunt Guide lead vehicle will be color coded. Turn your flashers on while traveling in the caravan & follow all traffic laws. If you lose your group, return to the First Christian Church Parking Lot and you will be given an alternative site.
You will be walking in fields, streambeds, rivers, sand and mud. For you and your children’s safety, please wear shoes or boots. You will be responsible for bringing your collected geodes to the main area of each hunt site.
Suggested Items for the hunts
Full tank of gas Bottled water & snacks 5-gallon buckets (can be purchased at Registration)
Weather-related clothing, boots, old shoes Sunscreen, bug repellant
Optional collecting tools
Garden trowel Long-handled screwdriver Pick axe Shovels Rock hammer Rock chisel Prybar
There is an additional charge of $25.00 per 5-gallon bucket of geodes collected from each site, or $.55/pound at the St. Francisville site, payable at the site to your guide or property owner at the end of each hunt.
GEODE CRACKING/BREAKING AT THE HUNT SITE IS NOT ALLOWED
Emergency Phone #: 911 or Geode Fest Director, Kirk Brandenberger @ (319) 795-1917
2022 Schedule of Activities: Read the schedule for more important information about the Geode Fest Weekend
Contests & Prize Drawings: The adult and children (15 & under) contests and prize drawings will begin at 5:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the First Christian Church Parking Lot. The contest categories to be awarded are prettiest, oddest, largest, smallest, rarest, this mud’s for you and ugliest.
All participants are required to maintain good safety behavior during the entire weekend. No alcohol allowed. No Pets allowed.
Here’s an in-depth look at the 2018 Geode Fest filmed and narrated by Randy McWilson
along with featured special guest, Bryan Major