2008 CCTS Star Party Schedule
Below, in chronological order, is a list of events than we plan to attend this year. These are some of the largest and consistently organized astronomical events in the United States. Each year we try to attend as many of these events as possible. When we do, we make a BIG show of it bringing enough "goodies" to fill a 300 square foot tent! If your listing contains an error, please send an e-mail to
Camcon101@msn.com
Bobfest 1 26 2008 Regional Meeting of Amateur Astronomers "Bobfest" Location: NC, USA Description: The 14th annual meeting of amateur astronomers "Bobfest", sponsored by the Cleveland County Astronomical Society will be held at Gardner-Webb University in the Ritch Banquet Hall located in Boiling Springs, NC 28017. Event starts 8:00am, Activities include astrophotography contest, Lectures, Swap tables, Solar observing, Door prizes, Venders and night observing at club dark site. Contact Name: Don Brooks Phone: E-mail: dbrook@bellsouth.net URL: http://www.ccastro.org/
Winter Star Party Florida Keys 2 4-9 2008 The Southern Cross Astronomical Society invites you to attend the Winter Star Party. Held once again at Camp Wesumkee in the Florida Keys, space is limited, so register early. For more information contact Lucille & Fred Heinrich at 904-362-5995 or fax 904-362-5996.by e-mail at heinrich@atlantic.net . Or visit http://www.scas.org.
Delmarva Stargaze (Spring) Tuckahoe State Park, MD 4 2-6 2008 http://www.delmarvastargazers.org/
NEAF Suffern, NY 4 26-27 2008 The NEAF Northeast Astronomy Forum & Telescope Show, sponsored by the Rockland Astronomy Club will be held at Rockland Community College, 145 College Road, Suffern, NY. NEAF is the largest astronomy products trade show in the United States with more than 70 vendors participating and lectures by prominent speakers. For complete details, visit our web site http://www.rocklandastronomy.com The Rockland Astronomy Club and Sky & Telescope magazine invite you to the East Coast's largest annual astronomy trade show, NEAF, now in its 14th year. The venue is Rockland Community College (RCC) in Suffern. Highlights include vendor exhibits, talks by leading amateur and professional astronomers, workshops for beginners and advanced hobbyists, door prizes, Starlab planetarium shows, and activities for children. Don Urban, 73 Haring St., Closter, NJ 07624-1709. Contact Name: Don Urban Phone: 201-768-6575 E-mail: durban@rocklandastronomy.com URL: http://www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaf.htm
AOS Starfest Roxbury, NY 5 31-June 1 2008
Hidden Hollow Ohio 5 2-4 2008 http://www.wro.org/hiddenhollow2006.html
RTMC Big Bear, CA 5 23-24 2008 It will be held at the Y.M.C.A. Camp Oakes (eight miles east of Big Bear City on Highway 38 at Lake Williams Road - that's between mileposts 44 and 45). This location is about 50 miles northeast of Riverside in the San Bernardino mountains. Follow Highway 38 east and north off Interstate 10 in Redlands. A map will be mailed with your registration confirmation. http://rtmc-inc.org/ Contact Robert Stephens, c/o Fox & Stephens, CPA’s 8300 Utica Ave, Suite 105, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730; 909-980-6050; rstephens@foxandstephens.comHighlights of the event include observing through a large variety of telescopes, invited talks, commercial exhibits and demonstrations, raffles, a swap meet, and a beginner's corner. Recreational activities include swimming, canoeing, and horseback riding. The preregistration deadline is May Ist.. http://rtmc-inc.org/
Apollo Rendezvous Dayton, Oh 6 13-14 2008 A Real nice convention The 31st Annual Apollo Rendezvous and Telescope Fair, hosted by the Miami Valley Astronomical Society and held at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, 2600 Deweese Pkwy, Dayton, OH 45414. Contact AR2001 2600 Deweese Pkwy, Dayton, OH 45414 or email mvas@mvas.org or visit http://www.mvas.org for details and registration information.CONTACT: Dave Merrelli 3346 Fair Oaks Dr Beavercreek, OH 45434 937-426-9461 email: jemdam@aol.com http://www.mvas.org
Texas Star Party Ft. Davis 6 1-7 2008 The Annual Texas Star Party, will take place at the Prude Ranch near Fort Davis, Texas, 12 miles from the McDonald Observatory. Contact Anne Adkins, Registrar, 4812 Twin Valley Dr., Austin, TX 78731; 1-512-451-0339, email: tspreg@metronet.com. www.metronet.com/‑tsp/The 24th annual Texas Star Party will be held at the Prude Ranch, a mile‑high, 3,500‑acre facility 12 miles southeast of McDonald Observatory. In addition to dusk‑to‑dawn observing and talks by professional and amateur astronomers, there are also commercial displays, a flea market, sightseeing tours, swimming, hiking, and horseback riding. Considered a rnecca for die‑hard deep‑sky observers and astro imagers, TSP attracted 755 attendees last year. This year's event, however, will be limited to 650, so be sure to sign up early. www.metronet.com/-tsp/
Green Bank Star Quest WV 7 2-5 2008 http://www.greenbankstarquest.org/
ALCON Convention Des Moines IA 7 18-19 2008
Mason Dixon Star Party York, PA 7 30-Aug 3 2008 The annual Mason Dixon Star Party, sponsored by the York County Astronomical Society and the York County Parks will be held at Spring Valley County Park, near York, PA. Speakers, vendors, door prizes, children activities and observing are all scheduled throughout the weekend. Registration is $20.00 per adult, children are free below the age of 12 and family rates are $35.00. A day pass is $12.00. To receive a brochure, contact Jeri Jones, York County Parks, 400 Mundis Race Road, York, PA 17402, telephone (717) 840-7226 or e-mail at JLJ276@aol.com. Also, all of the current information is found on the web site at http://home1.gte.net/dmdewey/mdsp.html www.masondixonstarparty.org
TMSP Ellensburg, WA 7 31-8/2 2008 The annual TMSP will be held on Table Mountain, about 20 miles northwest of Ellensburg. Experience what the more than 1,200 stargazers who flocked to last year's event were offered ‑ three days and two nights of great observing, as well as informal talks, workshops, seminars, commercial vendors, door prizes, a student‑astronomer program, a telescopemakers contest, and a swap meet. Leisure activities include hiking, mountain biking, and other outdoor sports. http://www.tmspa.com
Connecticut River Valley Astronomers' Conjunction Northfield, Mass 8 29-31 2008 Join stargazers from across the Northeast at the annual Connecticut River Valley Astronomers' Conjunction. This event takes place at the Northfield Mountain Recreation & Environmental Center in Northfield. The Conjunction includes a variety of presentations, swap table, barbecue dinner, observing sessions, and beautiful camp sites on the Connecticut River. Our web site is hftp://astroconiunction.tripod.com. To receive a brochure please e‑mail rsariderson@iuno.com. http://astroconjunction.tripod.com
Black Forest Star Party Pennsylvania 9 5-7 2008 The annual Black Forest Star Party will be at Cherry Springs State Park in north central Pa. For details write to CPO, P.O. Box 947, State College, Pa. 16801; black-forest@pop.psu.edu, or visit http://www.bfsp.org. Greg Granville Co-chair . http://www.bfsp.org
Connecticut Star Party Colebrook, CT 9 26-28 2008 The Connecticut Star Party, hosted by the Astronomical Society of New Haven, is to be held in Colebrook at a private camp. We must limit the number of people attending this event in order not to overtax the facilities, therefore, admission will be by pre-registration only. More information can be found at http://www.asnh.org or by contacting Bob Carruthers, 37 Saw Mill Drive, Wallingford, CT. 06492, 203-265-6014; bobcarruthers@webtv.net. http://www.asnh.org
Ohio Scope Out Cincinnati, OH 9 13 2008 Scope Out will be held at the historic Cincinnati Observatory Center, 3489 Observatory Place, Cincinnati Ohio, 45208, a National Historic Landmark. FULL ADMISSION: $20 includes daytime Fair admission, Dinner and Flerlage Science Lecture; GENERAL admission to FAIR & daytime classes: $5; students (10-18): $2; children under 10 are free. Contact the Cincinnati Observatory at 513-321-5186; observatory@fuse.net; http://cincinnatiobservatory.org. http://cincinnatiobservatory.org
Okie-Tex Star Party 9 27- Oct 5 2008 Okie-Tex is held each year at Camp Billy Joe, Kenton, Okla. For more information contact kmwstar@msn.com. http://www.okie-tex.com/
Prairie Skies Star Party Kankakee, Ill 9 25-28 2008 www.prairieskies.org
Astroassembly Rhode Island 10 3-4 2008 Join Skyscrapers Inc. for our annual Astroassembly. Guest speakers, contests, observing with our 8" Alvan Clarke refractor or our many other scopes, an evening banquet and more. Don't miss your chance to visit with one of New England's oldest and proudest amatuer communities. Send an e-mail to Steve Hubbard at cstars@att.net for more information or visit http://chandra.cis.brown.edu/astro. http://chandra.cis.brown.edu/astro
Chiefland Star Party Chiefland, FL 10 28-29 2008 The Chiefland Astronomy Village in Chiefland Florida is hosting Chiefland Star Party. CSP registration fees are $10 per person plus a $5 a night camping fee. Fantastic guest speakers and top vendors will be in attendance, plus you'll love our door prizes and traditional pot-luck picnic on Saturday. RV hook-ups for motor coaches and campers and of course some of the darkest skies (and warmest nights) in the country. For additional information contact: John O'Neill at 727-393-0013 or check our web site at http://www.c-av.com. http://www.c-av.com
Mid Atlantic Star Party Robbins, NC 10 27-Nov 2 2008 Mid Atlantic Star Party will be held in Robbins, N.C. MASP is co-sponsored by Astronomy and Sky & Telescope Magazines and will feature the annual meeting for SERA (SE Region Astronomical League), Boy Scout Astronomy Merit Badge Classes, IDA (International Dark-Sky Association) Workshop, Plus the swap meet, vendors, speakers and lots of attendees with their telescopes. The MASP site is approximately halfway between Stellafane and the Winter Star Party, halfway between Atlanta and Washington DC, and halfway between Charlotte and Raleigh NC. on the Occoneechee Council Boy Scout Camp Reservation on the South side of State Road 1261 about four miles south of Hwy 24-27 about one mile east of Hwy 705. Go to http://www.masp.org/ Contact: john@masp.org mail to: MASP 244 Deerfield Rd. Apex, NC 27502 919 362-5194 http://www.masp.org/
Custer Jamboree 10 25 2008
East Coast Star Party (Fall) Coinjock, NC 10 24-25 2008