July 18, 19, 20
Free Admission!
Passionately curious people of ALL ages joined us for a weekend of stargazing and storytelling practically in their own backyard! A stage for every age!
They discovered the Galileo within
with inspiration from...
Astronomers pointing out sunspots in the daytime and moon craters at night. Dr. Harold Williams of Montgomery College led a Walk of the Planets to discover just how far one has to walk in Kensington to simulate a voyage from the Sun to the Kuiper Belt. He played constellation games with the largest StarWheel you will ever see! Volunteers from National Capitol Astronomers stayed late into the night to introduce newbie astronomers to Jupiter and its four moons. We even saw the International Space Station fly by!
Storytellers wove wondrous tales from every nook of our planet Earth. Our featured StarryTeller was Lynn Moroney, an Anglo and Native American from Oklahoma who spellbound her listeners with skylore from many cultures. Linda Fang told the Asian myth of the Two Love Stars. Ellouise Schoettler transported the audience to African skies with a tale of the Orphan Boy whom we know as the Morning and Evening Star, Venus. Gail Herman involved the littlest listeners with star/moon/sun stories to make them revolve in dance, song and mime!
Artists guided our eyes to see the universe through the eyes of different cultures. Dayle Brown, a long-time planetarium educator, illustrator and author, told stories from dozens of cultures through her interactive workshops on the Pleiades, Orion and the Milky Way. Lee Talbot of the Textile Museum introduced the cosmology of East Asian cultures through beautifully woven clothing and fiber art.
The Robotics Team from Blair High School was a real hit as they maneuvered their award winning robot around the Town Hall!
Students from Parkland Middle School for Aerospace Technology explained how the nearest star, the Sun, works using frosting and cookies. What a yummy way to learn about hydrogen and helium!
Dancers brought the constellations to life. Kuchipudi Kalanidhi Dancers danced the Hindu myth of Prajapati (aka Orion). We all learned to dance like the stars in this Indian dance workshop!
An awesome inflatable planetarium enthralled everyone. John Meader of Northern Stars Planetarium enthralled hundreds of festival goers who crawled into his inflatable planetarium (StarLab) and invited all to Look up! We enjoyed constellation stores all day under a night sky in the daytime.
Have you had trouble defying the laws of gravity lately? Well, Magician Benjamin Corey defied the laws of physics in two fantastic shows. We watched him send a planet-like sphere in orbit around the room. Like an astronaut on a space walk, Ben made a rod fly in space.
If you joined us at this event, please send us an email letting us know how you liked it.
If not, don't miss the next StarryTelling Festival. Join our mailing list to find out where and when it will be held next!
