The fair opened today at 4:30 p.m. and will hold its main day this Saturday. The venue will open at 10:00 a.m., followed an hour later by the official inauguration, attended by Utrillas Mayor Joaquín Moreno; José Manuel Clúa, president of the Friends of the Natural Sciences Museum at the University of Zaragoza; and María Antonia Royo, president of the Aragonese Mineralogical Association.
MORE THAN 22 EXHIBITORS FROM SEVEN COUNTRIES
The organizers have expanded the exhibition space at the Covered Fronton, which covers around 1,000 square meters, by removing the stands to make room for a larger display area. This year’s participants include professionals from Spain, Poland, Portugal, Morocco, Bolivia, Turkey and France, showcasing items such as Baltic amber with inclusions, meteorites, geodes and dinosaur fossils.
It will host specialists from five countries from September 25 to 27.
In addition to the exhibition and sale of minerals, gems and fossils, the event aims to introduce these fields to younger audiences. Over the weekend, there will be workshops, fossil excavations, competitions and a “Mineral Bingo,” as well as an educational quiz accessible via a QR code included in the fair’s brochures. Children who complete it will receive a mineral and be able to enter drawings for educational collections, an amethyst geode and a Miocene fossil fish from the United States.
SCIENTIFIC OUTREACH FOR ALL AUDIENCES
The program also includes two lectures given by paleontologist Juan Carlos Escudero. The event is supported by the Aragonese Mineralogical Association and the Friends of the Natural Sciences Museum at the University of Zaragoza, and is co-organized by Utrillas Town Council, MAPSS Ferias y Eventos and the specialist portal Miscelánea Natural.
A FAIR LINKED TO THE HISTORY OF THE MINING BASINS
This year’s edition also coincides with the 25th anniversary of MAPSS Ferias y Eventos, whose history began precisely in the Mining Basins with the organization of Expo Comarca Cuencas Mineras. Since then, it has taken part in more than 250 fairs, conferences and events. The International Mineral, Gem and Fossil Fair will continue this Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
