Every morning I wake up hoping for two things: 1) that the high temperature of the day will be less than 95 degrees, and 2) that some of the rain that is consistently going north and south of the Crater/Murfreesboro area will somehow sneak over and give us more than the brief shower that we had on June 23^rd.  The weather service says that we are on target for one of the warmest Junes on record.  Last week the county declared a burn ban, because our area is so dry.

So, you might ask “Why do we care so much about the heat here at the Crater?” Reported heat indices for recent afternoons have been running over 100 degrees.  The heat indices out on our diamond search field are even hotter, as much as 10 degrees hotter than the air temperature.  Heat exhaustion, therefore, is a concern for our visitors.  Nausea, headache, and feeling light headed are the main heat exhaustion symptoms, and young children and people with underlying health issues are more likely to feel those symptoms. 

Lots of simple things can help our visitors “beat the heat.”  They are allowed to bring wagons and wheel barrels to carry ice chests, beach umbrellas, and other sun beaters out on the field.  Hats and sunscreen are a must.  We have drinking fountains out at the wet sluicing pavilions on the search area, as well as next to the restrooms near the equipment rental desk at the lower level of the Diamond Discovery Center.  We sell chilled bottled water and soft drinks at both the equipment rental desk and the Visitor Center.  On Fridays and Saturdays on the upper deck of the Diamond Discovery Center we have snow cones for sale.  And, of course, the air-conditioned Kimberlite Café sells good food, cold drinks, and ice cream.

Probably the best way to stay cool at the Crater is our Diamond Springs Water Park.  It opens everyday at noon.  This next Saturday we are hosting our Independence Day pool party for the public from 6:30 to 9:00 PM.  The Luau on the 18^th was a lot of fun and we are looking forward to ice cream sundaes for the refreshments. 

Finally, with the opening of the Visitor Center, we now have two more options for cooling off.  Both the Picnic Pavilion and the Diamond Discovery Center Classroom are air conditioned and available to rent.  The Pavilion is $90 per day or $65 per half day.  The Classroom is $65 per day with a $100 cleaning deposit. If your family or group is coming to the park, you might think about reserving and renting either of those two sites for a place for everyone to sit down and cool off.  

With the long term weather forecast for the summer being more of the same for July and August, we will do our best to keep our visitors cool and comfortable.

Search area last plowed:  June 9, 2011; Most recent significant rain:  June 5, 2011

Total diamonds found in 2011: 311

Diamonds registered for June 20-June 26, 2011 (100 points = 1carat): 

June 22 - Jim Graham, Prescott, AR, 14 pt. yellow

June 24 - Kenneth Shoemaker, Murfreesboro, AR, 14 pt. brown; Maria Marsico & Michael Jeffries, Livingston, TX, 50 pt. yellow; Michael Franklin, Denver, CO, 5 pt. yellow, 6 pt. white, 40 pt. brown