Do you think Square Dancing is all about the dancing? Visitors to the 63rd National Square Dance Convention hosted in Little Rock, Arkansas in June 2014 will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to come home with your very own Little Rock. A special opportunity awaits you on this exciting tour. If you think we are kidding . . . read this!!! They say “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” but for young Boy Scout Michael Detlaff the “Glory of God’ certainly has shined brightly on him. A family vacation trip to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas proved to be a very exciting day for the lucky young man. After searching for a mere 10 minutes, Michael discovered a 5.16 carat honey brown diamond about the size of a jelly bean with an estimated value of $15,000. In an amazing twist of fate, while Michael’s Father was renting his own mining equipment, young Michael made the exciting diamond discovery. This was the 328th diamond this year discovered at the Crater of Diamond State Park and the 27th largest diamond found since the park opened in 1906. The Crater of Diamonds is a volcanic pipe formed over millions of years of violent volcanic eruptions deep within the earth, and it is the first site outside of South Africa to produce diamonds at the original volcanic site. The 37 ½ acre diamond field located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas is the site where visitors can spend the day digging for semi precious gemstones such as peridot, garnet, amethyst, calcite, quartz, barite and natural diamonds. The diamond field is plowed regularly and since it’s beginning in 1906 an amazing 75,000 diamonds have been discovered. One might think digging for diamonds is an easy task and lucky Michael sure did not have any problems finding his precious gem which he promptly named the “Glory of God,” but make sure you are prepared. Dirty and messy diamond digging is hard work unless you are fortunate enough to visit the Crater of Diamonds after a nice hard rain. Be prepared to dig using a sharp spade or shovel and then hand sort the rock and debris unearthed. The best time of day to dig is right after sunrise when the light is best. The 63rd National Square Dance Convention hosted in Little Rock, Arkansas, June 25th-28th, 2014, offers the perfect opportunity to find your own diamond in the rough. Join us on Tuesday June 24th, 2014 as we explore the Crater of Diamonds State Park and just maybe you too will discover your own “Glory of God”
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 03:55:36 +0000