05/25/2007

Celebrating the state stone

Petoskey Stone Festival features food, fish and lots of rocks

By GARRET ELLISON

gellison@record-eagle.com

EASTPORT — Linda Dinger-Hoogerhyde won't reveal who's receiving the Betty Dinger Memorial Award during the Petoskey Stone Festival this weekend.

However, the daughter of the award's namesake said her mom would be "tickled to see who is getting it.”

Hoogerhyde, who took over Dinger's Rock Shop in Clam River after her mother died last year, will be presenting the award at the second-year festival, which plans to celebrate the state stone with food, music and games.

The one-day event takes place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Barnes Park in Eastport, near the intersection of M-88 and U.S. 131.

"My mom said to Linda Gallagher (on the festival board), 'Why didn't you do this 30 years ago when I was younger?'” said Hoogerhyde.

Dinger's Rock Shop has become an Antrim County landmark in its 40 years of operation. Betty was the much-beloved proprietor until last year. The shop features all manner of Petoskey stone keepsakes.

"Ole Lady Got Rocks, What a Fossil but Still a Gem,” remains inscribed on the sign out in front of the store, placed there years ago to honor Betty.

The award is for commitment to the native stone, a fossilized coral, Hexagonaria pericamata, which existed in the northern Lower Peninsula about 350 million years ago.

"If you think of this person, you would think of a Petoskey stone,” Hoogerhyde said about the award's main qualification. The Petoskey stone was designated the state stone of Michigan in 1965. It was the first fossil bestowed the honor.

Stone craftsmanship will be on display at the festival site and various mineral and gemstone booths will be scattered about. Food vendors will be set up as well.

There will be a stone-skipping contest and beach hunt. Festival planner Joe Meyers said despite a law prohibiting the removal of Petoskey stones from the beach in certain instances, beach hunters will be allowed to remove the stones they find during the festival contest.

"From our research, that's only on federal and state property and this isn't on either of those,” Meyers said.

They will pepper the beach with a large amount of stones purchased for the hunt.

A special Johnny Appleseed entertainer will recount tall tales of America's apple orchards and pass out some fruit as well — "basically just entertainment for the kids,” said Meyers.

The Bellaire Conservation Club will stock a 1,000-gallon pond with trout for kids to catch.

A half-carat diamond necklace will go home with the person who gueses the correct number of Petoskey stones in a jar at the Korner Gem Jewelry booth.

Admission is free. For more information call the Antrim County Planner's Office at 533-6265, or visit www.petoskeystonefestival.com.