Agate ‘meet and greet’ Saturday in Mantorville

Fans of agate hunting and those who are interested in agates and minerals are invited to the Southern Minnesota Meet and Greet this Saturday, September 30, at Riverside Park in Mantorville.
The event will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m., according to organizer Tim Fitzgerald. At least 20 vendors will be on hand at the event, he said.
Agates can be found throughout Minnesota, Fitzgerald said, although many people associate them with Lake Superior.
He said he first got interested in agates when he was eight years, with an aunt and uncle living in Carleton County. He has found many of his agates locally, he said, including a 7-1/2 pound one he found 30 years ago on his way to a deer stand near Byron.
There are a variety of agate types, he said, and they can be found in a variety of locations including rivers, streams, farm fields, places with landscaping stones and gravel pits.
When looking for agates, he said, the most important thing is to get permission from the landowner.