World Open Gold Panning Championships
Held Annually Gold Rush Sunday
(Third full weekend of October)
 
World Gold Panners Hall of Fame
In 1976 the Gold Panners Hall of Fame was established to honor those who have contributed most to the advancement of gold panning as a past-time, spectator sport as well as a true art.  Nominees for the Hall of Fame may also be considered for their skill, records, feats and loyalty and integrity to the gold community they live in as well as other parts of their state, country or world.  Nominations for induction can be made up until March 1st of each year.
 
Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records
Over the years the same tools (pans, gold nuggets) have been used to ensure its consistency and fairness in the event a record might be broken under the same circumstances that it was set - the main reason for being the only contest of its kind to be recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.  Also, it is the only true “World Open Championships” when others around the world are only known as “World Championships.”  For the past couple of years, due to space permitted in the Guinness Book many records have not been listed if they haven't been broken in awhile.  As of right now the only divisions recognized by Guinness are the World Open and Ladies World.  It is in the works now for having the Men's World submitted, thus getting the other divisions once again listed.
 
Guinness Book submission:
The fastest time for panning a set number of gold nuggets (8) in a 10 inch metal miners pan leveled with sand in the World Open  was recorded on October 17, 2010 at Dahlonega, Georgia in the 48th Annual World Open Gold Panning Championships by Johnny E. Parker with a time of 7.52 seconds.  The Ladies World Record was set at Dahlonega in the 32nd Annual World Open Championships April, 21 1994 by Desiree Kelley of Cisco, Georgia with a time of 8.30 seconds.  The Mens World Record was also set at Dahlonega in the 42nd Annual World Open Championships April 2004 by Johnny E. Parker of Dahlonega, GA with a time of 7.15 seconds. 
 
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"May your bottom turn yeller!"   - Johnny
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World Open Gold Panning Championships history
 
The World Open Gold Panning Championships began in 1961 to commemorate the discovery of gold in Southern California March 6, 1842 by Francisco Lopez at Placerita Canyon.  The World Open was founded by Glenn and Dorene Settle at their famed Tropico Gold Mine in Rosamond, CA.  When the Settles retired in 1980 they began their search for the perfect site to carry on the tradition.  They began by looking at places such as Karl’s Hotel/Casino in Sparks, Nevada and Knott’s Berry Farm near Los Angeles, California.  Trying both places, a third was tried in 1988 - Dahlonega, Georgia with the co-sponsorship of the Dahlonega Jaycees, since then held the 3rd weekend in April to help kick-off the spring tourist season, and since 1992 held at the largest gold milling operation ever established east of the Mississippi River in the heart of America’s 1st major gold rush site of 1828 - the Consolidated Gold Mine 
The Consolidated Gold Mine has - after long debate - announced this week (March 5) that the 2008 World Open Gold Panning Championships will move to October, being that was the month of the discovery of gold here in Georgia in 1828.  Dahlonega has hosted the World Open in April since 1988 as well as the Gold Rush Open in October.  Consolidated has hosted both these events for the past several years and says that this move of the World Open to October will basically take the place of the Gold Rush Open.
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Johnny Parker
Dahlonega, Georgia
 
2010 World Gold Panning Champion
 
And
 
New Guinness Book
World Record
 
This site was created completely by me using the Homestead Sitebuilder program.  My goal, simply, to make this site the most informative gold panning site on the net.  To the best of my knowledge - all contents of this site are 100% public domain.  If any such media items exist on this site are not public domain and is copyrighted please contact me at once for instant removal.
To ensure fairness and consistency in all divisions...
the following officials are used:
 
(Also see "Rules & Regs." page for more details)
 
VOLUNTEER
 
3 JUDGES Counts to verify nuggets left in pan, checks sand remaining in the pan by using "the dreaded bb"   Head judge is keeper of the "bb"
 
3 TIMERS Correctly and punctually uses a timer for accuracy.  Head timer is responsible for averaging the three times with a calculator.
 
PAN-LOADER Loads the pan consistantly with a screened dry sand and leveled.  Two pans will be in rotation.  PAN-LOADER then loads the pan with 8 gold nuggets using the same pattern each time.  This person also blows the whistle to signal to the timers when to start their stop watches.
 
RECORDER  Works with both the JUDGES and TIMERS to record all results both on paper and chalkboard.
 
ANNOUNCER  Communicates all the happenings to the audience by using a p.a. system.  Will also be supplied with notes on past contests to help with commentary.
 
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World Open Gold Panning Championships
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Note: (*) Site Created December 15, 2004
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New Guinness Book World Record
 Johnny Parker of Dahlonega, Georgia
 Pans Gold Faster Than Anyone
 
By Matt Aiken
The Dahlonega Nuggett
  
Someone alert the folks at Guinness, Johnny Parker panned his way into the record books Sunday afternoon at the 48th Annual World Open Gold Panning Championship in Dahlonega.  He was able to pan eight gold nuggets from a full pan of sand in just 7.52 seconds.
 
“I didn’t set out trying to break the record,” said the Consolidated Gold Mine tour guide.  “But about midway through I knew it felt too good.” Midway came about three seconds into Parker’s record breaking run in which he unexpectedly took down the long standing record of 7.55 seconds.  In the panning realm, this is a number that ranks with Aaron’s 755. Now the new number is 752 and it belongs to Parker.
 
Parker’s peak performance was no beginner’s luck. He’s been trying for more than two decades to top the elusive 7.55 mark established by Don Roberts of California in 1989.  It was then that a 19-year-old Parker barely missed claiming the title for is own when he broke the former world record of 9.23 by more than a second.  However, his performance was overshadowed by Roberts who had already smashed the record by nearly two seconds a few minutes earlier.
 
“His dad, Jack W. Roberts said that the record will probably stand 20 years.” said Parker. “And it did.”
 
In the meantime, Parker perfected his panning technique while working at the gold mine, teaching thousands of tourists to pan over the years.  As a result he never had to officially practice for the event.
 
“It’s natural,” he said. “Everything I do natural.  I don’t think about it.”
 
The World Open Panning Championship originally began in California in 1961 and moved to Dahlonega in 1988.  It’s an event that’s open to all ages as evidenced by the turnout of 18 Junior contestants this year.  However, no matter the age of the panner, the rules and regulations of the tournament are strictly followed.
 
“That’s the only reason it’s recorded by Guinness is because it’s held so precisely every year,” Parker said.
 
A total of eight regulation size gold nuggets [the same set used in all previous contests] are buried under an inch of sand in the pan. The contestant has to swirl the pan in the water and manage to get all the sand out of the pan, but none of the gold, since a lost nugget equals a ten second addition to the final time.
 
When the action is completed a panel of judges studies the pan.  Some count the nuggets while others look for sand.  Suches resident Erno Owens places a BB in the dish and if the ball is covered by sand then the pan is declared “dirty” and the panner is disqualified.
 
Consolidated Gold Mine management keeps the official-sized BB in a vial just for the occasion.
 
On Sunday afternoon Parker stood by in suspense as he waited for the judges to present the final time.
 
Time keeper Kimberly Drew wrote the first two numbers and then paused to thicken the tension.  “She wrote 7 … point…5 and then stopped,” said Parker.  Finally she wrote the final “2” that Parker had been waiting 20 years to see.
 
The new record of 7.52 will now be sent to Guinness by gold mine manager Dathan Harbert.
 
“It was exciting,” Harbert said. “An absolutely perfect pan. It was flawless.”
 
Those in attendance applauded as Parker was presented with a small miner made of pure Dahlonega gold, an award that has been on hand for years in case of a record setting performance.
 
Each competition it has been displayed for the afternoon, only to return to its small black bag for a year.
 
As for Parker, he had a good feeling the miner would be his even before he dipped is hands in the water.
 
“Before I started I looked at the gold and first thing I said was ‘You’re mine,’” he said with a smile.
 
7.52 seconds later, he proved himself right.
Next World Open - October 16, 2011