Have you ever watched a show on public television and wonder how you could contact an expert about your special family treasures? Now is your chance to "ask the experts."

On Saturday, Oct. 18, local professional appraisers, officers and members of the Long Island Chapter of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Alumni Association will donate their time and expertise from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a special fund-raising event at the Gregory Museum. Bring those mystery items from grandma's attic, basement or treasure box.

The cost is $10 an item; two items for $15 - carry in items only. All proceeds will be shared between the GIA Alumni Scholarship Fund and the Hicksville Gregory Museum, both non-profit organizations.

Participants will also receive a free tour of the museum with its own special treasures, including its mineral, fossil, butterfly exhibits and its latest acquisition, a small, but authentic Psittacosaurus dinosaur, 100 million years old.

The Hicksville Gregory Museum is located at Heitz Place and Bay Avenue. For more information, call Don Curran, curator, at 822-7505 or visit www.gregorymuseum.org.