The 2017 MAPS fossils-only show was held March 31 – April 2 in Iowa City, Iowa. That was the big draw to the Hawkeye State. But there is more:
- the birthplace of Buffalo Bill in LeClaire, IA
- museum of Antique Archaeology (aka American Pickers) in LeClaire, IA
- Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, IA
- the world’s largest truck stop (Iowa 80) in Walcott, IA
- AND the nearby Spam Museum (not the email kind of spam, but the possibly edible in-a-can kind) in Austin, MN. Can’t miss that!
For this blog, though, I’ll focus on the MAPS fossil show itself. At this year’s event, there were two significant things that are particularly relevant to the Dry Dredgers.
- Dr. Carlton Brett (UC) was the keynote speaker this year. He presented a fantastic high-energy seminar on Silurian echinoderms. The seminar was tremendously informative, captivatingly interesting, and witty. Afterward, some attendees said, “Best seminar ever!” And it was. A hearty THANK YOU to Carl for an incredible presentation!
- Dan Cooper received the MAPS Don Good Award for his contributions to the organization and to paleontology in general (see Figure 1). Examples of his contributions include organization of the MAPS show, collaboration and publication with professionals, re-discovering classic collecting sites, and donating thousands of specimens to professionals, museums, clubs, and individuals. And he has passed along his love of fossils to the next generation, such as through his sons who are now well-known in the paleontology community.
Don Good, for whom the award is named, was an avid fossil collector. He was a co-founder of the MAPS club four decades ago, setting the foundation for the MAPS Fossil Show that will be holding its 40th annual event in April 2018.
Congratulations to Dan for receiving this well-deserved award!
In addition to Carl and Dan, other Dry Dredger members who attended the show included Tom Bantel, Rich and Karen Fuchs, Mike Davis, Jack Heckscher, and me. Below are a few pictures (Figures 2-7) from the hotel show and the main show (pictures provided by Tom Bantel).
And lastly, finally, IT’S ABOUT TIME, we get to some more pictures of fossils! Since in past blogs I have shared photographs of newly acquired specimens, below are some new additions to my hoard of rocks.
One is a nice double starfish from the chalk of Denmark (see Figure 8).
Another is a starfish from the Cincinnati area that was part of an old collection being sold (see Figure 9).
Yet another is a nice Russian trilobite that was part of an additional old collection for sale at the show (see Figure 10).
And then there is the biggee: a double spiny “porcupine” trilobite from Morocco (see Figure 11).
So a good show. If you didn’t get a chance to attend this year, perhaps you will in 2018. Enjoy!
Don Bissett
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THX Don.
Ziggie, NCFC