From the Pick and Shovel June/July 2014 issue
By Sarah Reijonen
For the GPAA
It's fixin' to be the biggest Southern-style potluck east of the Mississippi.
OK, maybe not the biggest, but you can bet your biscuits that the 2014 Coker Creek Gold Prospectors Association of America Chapter Gold Festival and Kid's Day will have everything from cobbler to catfish, and, of course, that shiny, yellow metal we all know and love — gold.
"It's for education, to teach everyone about prospecting," said GPAA Coker Creek Chapter President Chuck Pharis. "It started with the kids and the adults said, 'Well, we want to learn, too.' "
Gold is the common thread that will unite prospectors and non-prospectors from ages 5 to 85 starting at 10 a.m. on June 21 at the GPAA's leased Coker Creek property in Tennessee, but friendship and good food are two highly appealing bi-products.
"It's open to anyone," Pharis said. "We have people from all over Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, and they can bring their family and friends."
Each year, the event draws hundreds of participants eager to learn how to pan, sluice, metal detect, highbank and even operate a small-scale suction dredge.
"We set up areas to demonstrate all different types of recreational prospecting," Pharis said. "We have areas set up all over our nine acres on our property, with experts that demonstrate one particular piece of equipment. So, anybody can walk around and, if they've never dredged before, they can get right in the water and run a dredge, which is one of our bigger hits."
The GPAA Coker Creek chapter, which hosts the event, also opens up the claim for free camping Friday, June 20 through Sunday, June 22.
The only pay spots are seven RV hook-ups that provide water, power and sewer, but these spots are reserved for GPAA members. The hook-up sites cost $12 to $15 per night, and reservations can be made by calling (423) 261-2145.
As in previous years, the chapter will also have a rock crusher on hand. Participants are encouraged to bring large pieces of quartz that have been lying around their personal properties. Pharis said he brought quartz from his home, panned out the crushed material and found gold flakes — just as he suspected.
Aside from gold prospecting, the chapter also puts together an annual potluck, an idea Pharis introduced three years ago. Each participant is asked to bring one dish that will feed at least five people. Without a potluck dish to contribute, the cost is $5, but children under the age of 18 always eat for free.
"It's a huge hit. Everybody brings food," Pharis said. "It's like a big Southern family. You name it, it's here."
Besides eating for free, each child also gets a free door prize ticket. The adults can also get in on the giveaway action by purchasing a $1 raffle ticket. The raffle includes prizes such as gold and gems, gold pans, sucker tubes, even sluice boxes.
Local prospecting supply dealers will have booths set up and non-dealers are welcome to bring any new or used prospecting gear they wish to sell. GPAA membership kits will also be available at a discounted price at the event.
With the amount of planning and coordination that goes into the event, Pharis said reservations are a must. He asks that folks RSVP by June 7, but Pharis said they never turn anyone away.
The property is fully equipped with toilet and hand-washing facilities and even has a shower, he added.
Coker Creek Gold Festival and Kid's Day
- WHO: Open to GPAA members and non-members
- WHAT: Coker Creek GPAA Chapter Gold Festival and Kid's Day
- WHERE: GPAA Coker Creek Claim in Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee
- WHEN: Gold Festival 10 a.m., Saturday, June 21, 2014, Camping on claim, June 20-22.
- WHY: Learn more about prospecting, eat good food and make new friends
- HOW: RSVP to GPAA Coker Creek Chapter President Chuck Pharis by calling 818-802-1603 or emailing chuck@pharis-video.com
Sarah Reijonen is a freelance writer based in California. She can be reached at sarahreijonen@yahoo.com.
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