Benton represents the Gem and Mineral Show

Most of those in attendance at last weekend's 56th-annual Gem and Mineral Show put on by members of the Southern Illinois Gem and Mineral Society and held at the Pavilion of the City of Marion probably had no idea that the hugely popular event was actually the brainchild of a Benton couple.
Mike Chontosfalsky was chairman of this year's show, and he did.
"Sure I do," he said. "Louis and Elizabeth Martin founded the Southern Illinois Gem and Mineral Society in 1961, and they were responsible for putting on our first show."
Membership in the hobby group has grown a lot over the years, according to Chontosfalsky.
"When I first joined back in 1977 Louis and Elizabeth were both still alive and quite active in the club," he said. "I remember that when I became a member there were 50 of us. Now we're up to 90 members from all across Southern Illinois."
Doug and Vivi Hughes of Benton have been members for a half dozen years and have become active in helping put on the show. She paused for a few minutes while checking in guests Saturday.
"I've been a rock hound since I was 8 years old," she said. "And since we got married, I've even got my husband interested."
Doug confirmed his wife's version of the story.
"Yes, she got me interested alright, and now I'm fascinated by fossils," he said. "I've made it a point to find all of my fossil collection right here in Southern  Illinois. I get a lot of them from along the banks of the Mississippi. I have also found some at Rend Lake."
The Hughes weren't the only Benton residents at the show. Steve Workman was there, too, and the retired railroad worker said he has also been intrigued by rocks and minerals since he was a boy.
"I grew up on a 400-acre farm in western Illinois," he said. "I found a lot of fossils there. Most of them I found along small creek banks."