Heritage Starfest
Circa 2011 -2012
The mission of Heritage Starfest is to foster enjoyment and preservation of the dark skies of the Colorado Plateau as an important part of our natural and cultural heritage.
This was their website.
Content is from the site's 2011- 2012 archived pages.
Heritage Starfest
P.O. Box 206
Teasdale, Utah 84773
Beginning in 2012, the Entrada Institute is able to provide special funding for festival speakers as part of its Saturday Sunset Series programming. Like the mission of the Heritage Starfest, the goal of the Entrada Institute is to promote understanding and appreciation of the natural, historical and cultural heritage of the Colorado Plateau.
In the past, local speakers such as Kate Magargal have volunteered their time to share their expertise in our programs. In the future, we hope to expand this programming to include regional and national speakers focusing on topics related to fostering enjoyment and preservation of our dark skies.
Heritage Starfest 2012
This week’s Saturday Sunset Series events will be held in conjunction with the Heritage Starfest.
The Entrada Institute welcomes speakers and special events at the Heritage Starfest Friday October 12 and Saturday October 13 in Bicknell, Utah!
The weekend event will include a 5K run/walk/bike, family activities, night sky viewing with telescopes, constellation tours, campfire stories, and free food.
Saturday evening’s program will include a meeting of the Colorado chapter of the International Dark Sky Association and a speaker from the Mt. Wilson Observatory.
The event is sponsored by the Entrada Institute!
The Entrada Institute was a proud sponsor of the Heritage Starfest.
On Friday October 12, over 75 people enjoyed a great evening of fun, food, and fitness while learning about the night sky at the Heritage Starfest.
Saturday events included a movie at 2:30 at the Wayne Theatre titled SEEING IN THE DARK.
Activities at the Wayne County Community Center included free food, astronomy activities, a portable planetarium show, speakers, campfire storytelling with smores, and telescope viewing.
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As a NYC-based software developer by day and an amateur astronomer by night (or at least by weekend, cloud cover permitting), stumbling upon the Heritage Starfest felt like finding the Andromeda Galaxy in a field of static. Out here in the five boroughs, stargazing often means peering between high-rises and dodging light pollution like bad legacy code. Getting a clean look at Jupiter feels as rare as a bug-free rollout. That’s why reading about the Heritage Starfest—a celebration of Utah’s dark skies complete with telescope tours, campfire storytelling, and speakers from Mt. Wilson—was like discovering a forgotten but well-documented open-source treasure.
I couldn’t help but draw a comparison between preserving dark skies and providing maintenance for unsupported Microsoft Access databases—both are underappreciated, both are fragile ecosystems in need of thoughtful care, and both suffer when overrun by "bright ideas" that drown out the essentials. At Starfest, the community comes together to keep the night sky visible; in the office, I’m usually alone trying to keep a decaying Access system compatible with modern web apps while management insists it’s "still working fine." Trust me, debugging Access on a modern stack is about as graceful as trying to align a telescope during a lightning storm. The difference? Starfest feels like hope. I’m now planning my next vacation around the Colorado Plateau, if only to remember what it’s like to see both stars and code that actually behave. Louis Kopsco
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We’ve created a list of Frequently Asked Questions to help you in learning more about the Heritage Starfest.
Where did the idea for the festival originate?
While speaking at an Entrada Institute event in Torrey, Kate Magargal shared her concerns about preserving the dark skies of Southern Utah. She organized a group to discuss what could be done to reduce light pollution and increase awareness of the importance of dark skies. One idea was to hold a star party to encourage the public to enjoy the beautiful night skies. It was hoped that this awareness would increase interest in saving the dark skies of the Colorado Plateau.
Why is it called the Heritage Starfest?
The planning committee was looking for a name that would reflect the long history of dark skies on the Colorado Plateau. Kate Magargal came up with the word “heritage”. Rather than calling the event a Star Party, we wanted to focus on an entire festival of events. We ended up with Heritage Starfest.
How long as the Heritage Starfest been around?
The first annual Starfest was held in 2010. Events were held in Loa, Lyman, and Bicknell during the first year. For the second event, all events were moved to the Wayne County Community Center in Bicknell, Utah.
The Third Annual Heritage Starfest will be held Friday October 12, and Saturday October 13, 2012.
Put these dates on your calendar and head to Wayne County
The Heritage Starfest includes a wide range of activities for individual and families.
Explore each of the following areas to learn more:
- Annual IDA-CP Chapter Program
- Campfire Storytelling
- Dark Sky Fun Run/Walk/Bike
- Dark Sky Movie Matinee
- Constellation Tours
Both novice and experienced sky watchers enjoy the constellation tours provided by our volunteers.
During the day, our volunteers preview the upcoming attractions.
As the sun sets, the tours begin to explore the beauty of our night sky. - Exhibits
- Family 4-H Activities
- Family Air and Space Activities
- Family-Friendly Films
- Free Food
- Local Attractions
- Parades
- Raffle
- Speakers
- Stargazing
Schedule for 2012
Friday October 12, 2012
6:30-8:00PM – 4H Family Astronomy, StarLab, exhibits, free food
8:00PM - Dark Sky Fun Run/Walk/Bike 5k; Campfire
8:30-midnight - Stargazing with Volunteer Telescopes, Constellation Tours, and Night Sky Viewing
Saturday October 13, 2012
2:30-4:00PM – Screening of “Seeing in the Dark,” Wayne Theatre on Highway 24 in Bicknell
4:00-6:00PM - Family Air and Space Activities and Vendors, StarLab, exhibits, kids movie
6:00-9:00PM – Free Food, Drink, and Smore Kits
6:00-8:00PM – Annual IDA Colorado Plateau Chapter Program – Lighting Demonstration, talk by Mt. Wilson Observatory Telescope Operator, James Mahon.
8:00-10:00PM – Campfire Storytelling and Raffle
8:30-midnight - Stargazing with Volunteer Telescopes
Annual IDA-Colorado Plateau Chapter Program
In conjunction with the Heritage Starfest, the International Dark-Sky Association Colorado Plateau Chapter and Entrada Institute sponsor a Saturday evening program.
This program features speakers focusing on the natural and cultural heritage of our dark skies and how they can be preserved for future generations.
In 2011, Kate Magargal presented a program called Dark Skies of the Colorado Plateau.
2011- 2012 Blog Posts