[sac-board] Re: SAC T-Bird Park Public Star Party 2009 Scheduled
- From: "Richard Harshaw" <rharshaw2@xxxxxxx>
- To: <sac-board@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:32:05 -0700
Ah, the "I" word. What motivates us?
In an ideal world, I would appeal to the sense of wonder all of us first
experienced when we saw our first views through binoculars or a telescope
and ask members to freely share that awe with folks who have not yet tasted
it. That will work with maybe half of any club of amateurs.
The other issue, however, is that this is an intensely personal hobby (most
of us spend a majority of our observing time alone in our back yards or a
nearby convenient site) and we use, in many cases, terribly expensive
equipment that is not too rugged when exposed to young, restless, ADHD,
sugared-up kids and parents who don't know how to keep them under control.
So I can also see why many folks do NOT want to share the skies with their
equipment.
Which brings me to an idea if we can find a way to grow our funding to a
respectable surplus-- the club could purchase 2 or 3 good dobs of moderate
aperture and low cost and use those for public events. Then, members who
wanted to do a public party but were averse to bringing their own equipment
could man one of the club's scopes. We could also emblazon the tubes with a
large SAC logo as a way to encourage people to ask us what this is all
about.... maybe recruit a few new members that way. The club in Kansas City
had an observatory for public events with a 30-inch Newt under a dome and
two Meade dobs (12" and 16") in a roll-off roof shed. Some members brought
their own scopes out and set them on the lawn for public events, and many
more came and worked the 30-incher or one of the Meades. We usually had a
good showing of club members at our public events, partly (but not entirely,
of course) because of the club equipment.
In the final haul, any volunteer organization will follow the 80-20 rule--
80% of the work gets done by 20% of the members. And within that small
cadre, another 80/20 is at its core. With 80 members, we can figure maybe
16 regular helpers at events, and of those, 3 or 4 who are zealots. Maybe
someday having club equipment that is not so over-protected as a large SCT
or Dob may help some of those other uninvolved folks step up and help out a
little more. But even if they don't, they are still club members and I honor
them and respect them.
Richard Harshaw
Cave Creek, AZ
-----Original Message-----
From: sac-board-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:sac-board-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Steve D.
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2009 4:53 AM
To: SAC Board
Subject: [sac-board] Re: SAC T-Bird Park Public Star Party 2009 Scheduled
As someone mentioned at the board meeting, it's a long drive for me to do
Thunderbird. T-bird is also well attended, given that we have a lot of
members that live up that way. I've always been disappointed with our
presence at ASC for astronomy day and would like to see more there. I set
up during the day, as Gene said, AND do the night thing, too. (I'm also
usually the last to leave.) We haven't had a dedicated SAC table that I can
recall, (Gene does double duty, triple?, manning the EVAC and NASA and
mentioning SAC), but it'd be better to have one of our own.
I don't see a reason to choose between, but finding an incentive to
involve more members.
Steve Dodder
Chairman, SAC Novice Group
Coordinator, Grand Canyon Star Party, North Rim
Director, Stone Haven Observatory
fester00@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.stargazing.net/Astroman
> Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:05:46 -0700
> From: telescoper@xxxxxxx
> To: sac-board@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [sac-board] Re: SAC T-Bird Park Public Star Party 2009 Scheduled
>
> There ya go. That's actually what I meant by both: ASC during the day and
then
> to T-Bird for the night observing. Some will, some won't, as happens every
> year they coincide, and there've been no problems.
>
> Jack
>
> Richard Harshaw wrote:
> > If we can staff both, I'm ok with it. But if volunteers run thin, I
think we
> > should focus on Tbird, since we made that commitment first. Of course,
the
> > Tbird event is an evening event and we could have some volunteers help
at
> > ASC during the day... doh.
> >
> >
> > Richard Harshaw
> > Cave Creek, AZ
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: sac-board-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:sac-board-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> > On Behalf Of Jack Jones
> > Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2009 9:39 PM
> > To: sac-board@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: [sac-board] Re: SAC T-Bird Park Public Star Party 2009
Scheduled
> >
> > I thought we were going to be doing both. So that it would be in
addition
> > to,
> > rather than be in conflict with.
> >
> > Jack
> >
> > Richard Harshaw wrote:
> >> Steve and Chris, I think it would be a good idea to keep this date open
> > for
> >> the Thunderbird SP instead of helping out that day with the ASC. What
do
> > you
> >> think?
> >>
> >>
> >> Richard Harshaw
> >> Cave Creek, AZ
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: sac-board-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > [mailto:sac-board-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> >> On Behalf Of Jack Jones
> >> Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2009 8:02 PM
> >> To: AZ SAC Board
> >> Subject: [sac-board] SAC T-Bird Park Public Star Party 2009 Scheduled
> >>
> >> Board:
> >>
> >> Glendale Parks & Rec Dept. has a new Recreation Director taking over
from
> >> Caroline Medrano. He is Austin Pectol at phone no. 623-930-2018. We
have
> >> scheduled Saturday May 2, 2009 from 7-10 PM as the date and time of the
> > 2009
> >> SAC T-Bird Park Public Star Party, as I mentioned at the Jan. Board
> > meeting
> >> during the IYA discussions. (May 2 is Astronomy Day and April 27-May 3
is
> >> Astronomy Week.) He will be looking into the funding available to
> > determine
> >> what facilities we will get this year as far as porta-potties and
> > shuttles.
> >> Sunset for the event is 7:12 PM and the Moon will be one day past first
> >> quarter.
> >>
> >> Jack Jones
> >> Public Events Coordinator
> >> SAC
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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