[meteorite-list] 2006 Meteorite Festival....+ Free Event Cancel Contest

[MARK BOSTICK]

Hello All,

Hope everyone is doing well.  Today was the Meteorite Festival at Haviland, 
Kansas.  I am happy to report it was a complete success....well, we didn't 
recover any new meteorites (although we did make it home with another 
Brenham if that counts and did see a dozen meteor wrongs), but in all other 
aspects I think the festival did very well.  We made a few connections and 
made it home with our wallets mostly intact

It is the hope of the mayor, Jack Christianson, and the Kansas Meteorite 
Society, that the festival becomes an annual event.

Among the meteorite things of interest was a Meteorite Medallion Hunt, 
Meteorte Exhibits by local Dr. Don Stimpson, Mark Bostick (Kansas Meteorite 
Society....that's me), Steve Arnold and the 1430 lb. pallasite display, 
speakers Dr. Denten Edel (American Museum of Natural History) and Dr. Dave 
Alexander (Wichita State University), Meteorite Medallions (by the Haviland 
Heritage Foundation),  a "Cancellation Stamp, Meteorite Festival" by the 
USPS, Meteorite Fest Pencils, Meteorite Fest T-shirts and Meteorite Fest 
Beanbags.

As many of you know I have a coin and stamp interest 
(www.coinandstampman.com), helped produce the first legal tender meteorite 
coin and led short lived drive for a Meteor Crater stamp...so with that in 
mind.  I will report to the list on two related items.

The Meteorite Medallions might be of interest to some of you. The 
Medallions, were prizes given away to winners of a Medallion Hunt and the 
Disc Golf contest. They were also sold from a booth by the Haviland Hertiage 
Foundation.  Medallions were made in a bronze-like metal, and then a silver 
pewter version. It was not clear the medallions were for sale, or at least 
to me, and the town has a population of only about 500.  However many were 
produced of each I do not know, but I think it is fair to say that not many 
were made.  Interesting, the medallions are from different dies and are 
different thickness.  They were somewhat pricey...$15 for the pewter and 
$10.00 for the bronze-like metal.


http://www.coinandstampman.com/ebayauctionphotos/Festival_Coins.jpg

The Meteorite Festival event cancel (as the stamp community would call such) 
or the "Cancellation Stamp, Meteorite Festival" (as the USPS called it) was 
interesting.  The cancel shows a map of Kansas and notes the place of 
Haviland with "Haviland Crater." On the top of the map, in a six line 
notation is "Haviland, Kansas; Haviland Station; 67039; Meteorite Fest and 
July 8, 2006." In two lines across the bottom is "The Rock Stops Here!" and 
"Brenham Meteorite."

I had a few pamplets franked with Purple Heart or Reagan stamps (no good 
space-related 39 cent stamp yet, so I used recent releases).  One of the 
pamplets is viewable here.......

http://www.coinandstampman.com/ebayauctionphotos/Festival_Program.jpg

Since I have not done a meteorite contest in a while.  Now is as good as 
time as any.  The following photograph shows me and a meteorite person 
sporting a Kansas Meteorite Society ballcap.

The first person that e-mails me (or the list) and can tell me who this 
person is, gets a free Festival Pamplet with the event cancel as shown.

http://www.coinandstampman.com/ebayauctionphotos/DSCN2795a.jpg

Hint: Living about 1420 miles away from Wichita, this person is not a Kansas 
Meteorite Society member.

Clear Skies,
Mark Bostick
Wichita, Kansas
Kansas Meteorite Society