The Mississippi Gem & Mineral Society invites you to join them as they celebrate their 50th Anniversary and host the 58th Eastern Federation Annual Convention February 22 - 24, 2008 Jackson, Mississippi You are invited to help to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the charter of our Society, and our 49th annual show. You were here when we hosted the American Federation at their 50th anniversary and it is only fitting that you share this milestone with us. The date is February 22, 23, 24, 2008 and location is the Trade Mart Building at the State Fairgrounds, on High Street, Exit 96-A, off I-20. We have made reservations at the Regency Hotel and Convention Center, for a double room rate of $89.00 plus tax. The hotel is located at 400 Greymont Avenue, just around the corner from the Trade Mart Building, within walking distance of the show. To get the contracted rate you must phone the Regency at 601-969-2141, before January 21, 2008. Please mention the Mississippi Gem & Mineral Society when reserving your room. Also located on Greymont Avenue are the Holiday Inn Express and the Quality Inn. Full hook-ups for campers are available on the fair grounds at reasonable rates. To get to the hotel, take Exit 96-A off I-20 (High Street) and turn left onto Greymont Avenue. You will see the hotel from the Interstate. Greymont is only one block long and parallels the fairgrounds. Their Rio Grande Restaurant has a full service menu for casual dining and the hotel offers a wide range of amenities. All guest rooms have been recently redecorated. The Banquet, the Cracker Barrel, and the Editor’s Breakfast will be held at the hotel. To reserve your tickets for these functions, please complete your Advance Registration Form and return with the appropriate payment. Tickets will be in your packet at the hotel when you check in. In addition, you are invited to be our guests at our traditional “Set-up Supper” Friday evening, at the Trade Mart Building on the State Fairgrounds. We do ask that you indicate your intention to attend. The annual meeting will take place in our own building meeting room. A bus will leave the Trade Mart 30 minutes prior to meeting time and return for us after the meeting. Those who wish to do so may follow the bus in their private cars. We welcome the chance to show you around our new building. We have also set aside time for the Eastern Federation auction so bring good things to donate and plenty of money for your bids. For this very special celebration, we have reserved extra space in the Trade Mart for some extra special exhibits following the “gold” theme. We invite you to add any special exhibits you may wish to bring along for this special room in addition to your other competitive and non-competitive exhibits for the main show. Because of the nature of these exhibits, this space will have dedicated security service around the clock. For a Special Theme Exhibit, please use the Non-Competitive application and add the word “THEME” to the title. We plan to enjoy this special celebration and nothing would make us enjoy it more than sharing it with our dear friends. We look forward to your visit with us.   SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Friday 12 pm – 5 pm Exhibitor/Vendor Set-up at Trade Mart Building 3 pm Cracker Barrel Session at Regency Hotel 6 pm Set-Up Supper for Vendors and workers – EFMLS Guests Welcome 7 pm Bus leaves for MGMS Lapidary School 7:30 pm EFMLS Annual Meeting at School Saturday 8:00 am Judging of Competitive Exhibits Begins 9 am – 6 pm MGMS-EFMLS Show at Trade Mart Building 2 pm EFMLS Annual Auction at Show Location 7 pm EFMLS Banquet, choice of entrée - $35.00 Sunday 8 am Editor’s Breakfast - $16.00 10 am – 5 pm MGMS-EFMLS Show at Trade Mart Building 5 pm Take down – Security will remain on duty until building is cleared. For up to date information on the host club's plans for the convention, click on the following link: www.msgems.org/index.html For registration and further information click here, click here