Upcoming events: Star parties and classes; races for kids; blues fest and banjo music and a ladies night out

To find even more events, please see our Calendar of Events here.

Oct. 11 & 12: Open House and Star Party at Stellafane

Stellafane in Springfield will hold a free Open House and Star Party at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday, Oct. 12. You can tour the National Historic landmark and the Stellafane observatories will be open for viewing – after dark, weather permitting. To get to Stellafane, take Route 11 toward Springfield, drive up Breezy Hill Road and follow the signs to Jordan Road and Stellafane. More information can be found at http://stellafane.org/news/index.html#SP

Oct. 12: Springfield Medical Care Systems seeks fastest kids in town

Springfield Medical Care Systems is sponsoring the first annual Fastest Kid in Town Race as part of 100 Days of Wellness celebration.
Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to compete for the title of “Fastest Kid In Town.” Coordinated by the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center staff, this year’s event will take place at noon, Saturday Oct. 12 during Springfield’s annual Apple Festival at the Riverside Middle School’s Oval Field, 13 Fairground Road, Springfield.
The Fastest Kid in Town race is an effort to raise awareness of a healthy and active lifestyle for youth. Divisions will be by age groups: 5- and 6-year-olds; 7- and 8-year-olds; 9- and 10-year-olds and 11- and 12-year-olds. All children will receive a free T-shirt. The boy and girl winners from each division will receive a Fastest Kid in Town medal.
Register your child at the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center, 140 Clinton St., or call 802-885-2568.
For more information about the 100 Days of Wellness or the Fastest Kid in Town Race, contact Christian Craig, executive director of the Edgar May Health and Recreation Center at ccraig@myrecenter.org or call 802-885-2568.

Oct. 12: Black River Folk & Blues Fest in Ludlow

Gypsy Reel

Friends of Ludlow Auditorium’s first annual Black River Folks and Blues Fest will take place 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 12, in the Town Hall Auditorium, 1 Whispering Pines, Ludlow and will feature four area blues and folks musical groups.
The four groups are: Chester’s blues artists The Chris Kleeman Band; international Celtic and original music performers from the Ludlow and Belmont areas Gypsy Reel; southern Vermont’s “glam-stompers” The Break Maids; and roots-oriented folk-rock trio Rusty Belle.
Tickets for this event may be purchased online at www.fola.us, in Ludlow at the Peoples United Bank, The Book Nook, and The Wine and Cheese Depot, and at the door. Tickets are $15 per person. For further information, www.fola.us or 802-228-7239.

Oct. 14: Speckers offer free fiddle concert

John Specker and daughter Ida Mae will present a Columbus Day concert of Traditional American Fiddle Music from 3 to 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 14, in the Andover Town Hall, at 953 Weston-Andover Road in Andover.
A family-oriented program, admission is free and open to the public. For more information visit www.thespeckers.com.

Oct. 19: Pinnacle Association’s Bald Hill hike

Fall colors will enhance the views on this free hike at the Bald Hill Reserve taking place at 1–3:30 p.m., Saturday Oct. 19. Randy Major, a Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association trustee and member of the Bald Hill Committee, will guide hikers through the Association’s open space and adjoining Bellows Falls Union High School Forest trails to the Bald Hill summit area, Twin Falls, and historic earthworks.
Contact Randy Major at 802-387-5737 or majorrandy71@gmail.com for information and how to register. Participants are asked to bring water and a snack, and to dress for possibly chilly weather. Meet at the trailhead at 232 Covered Bridge Road in Westminster.
Read about the many natural features of the Bald Hill Conservation Project, its Pinnacle reserve and high school forest lands, and interlocking trail system on Pinnacle’s website, www.windmillhillpinnacle.org. Visit the events page for information about past and future programs.

Oct. 24: Girls Night Out for the ladies

A unique Girls Night Out event will take place 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24. at the renovated train Depot on Route 100 in the center of South Londonderry. All women are welcome and invited bring a girlfriend or two.
This Eat, Swap, Talk evening invites women to bring food to share for a light dinner along with their beverage. Bring up to three pieces of clothing to swap, and a book that you’ve enjoyed, and would like to pass on.
Email jblue@svcable.net for more information.

Starting Nov. 2: Chester astronomy group offering courses

SoVerA, the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group, Inc. is debuting its fall astronomy courses to be held at Magic Mountain, 495 Magic Mtn. Access, Londonderry.

SoVerA, a Chester professional-amateur, not-for-profit astronomy research and outreach, plans to create an astronomy science center in Southern Vermont. SoVerA instructors include professionals and experienced observers.

Students will use the organizations’ variety of portable optical telescopes allowing them to photograph celestial objects with their own cameras. Early evening sessions will be scheduled on a two to three day notice based on weather and sky conditions. The courses are described below:

• Planning Your Observing Session

Instructor: Pat Porch
1–3 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2
Fee: $15 non-members/$10 members

In addition to printed star charts and atlases, there are numerous websites and computer programs that help you plan an observing session, or identify that unknown object. This class provides an overview of some of the popular online resources, and helps participants use them to plan an observing session. Additionally, students will be shown how online resources can satisfy those astro urges on cloudy nights.

• Astronomy Foundations

Instructor: Claudio Veliz
5 sessions 10 a.m.–noon, Saturdays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, & Dec. 7
Fee: $46 non-members/$35 members

This informal class is at an introductory level intended for the astronomically curious. Recommended for ages 8 and above, regardless of science or technical background.

Each session will cover a specific topic.
1. The Universe: Getting our minds around it all
2. In the Starring Role will cover the structure and behavior of stars
3. Planets and Leftovers will cover asteroids, comets, etc.
4. Life in the universe
5. Playing Scientist: Go measure the universe yourself will explain how to observe and measure things in the night sky.

• Evening Seminar on the Planets

Instructor: John Carlson
2 sessions: 6–8 p.m. + observing time, Thursdays, Nov. 7 & 14
Fee: $25 non-members/$18 members

This presentation starts with the perceptions of planets (wandering stars) held by civilizations before the invention of the telescope and continues to our present knowledge aided by telescopic observations as well as numerous satellite missions. Major scientific discoveries will be discussed. Weather permitting; students will observe Venus.

• Introduction to Observing

Instructor: Dr. Robert (Bob) Dudley
3 sessions: 1–3 p.m., Saturdays, Nov. 9, 16, & 23
Fee:  $32 non-members/$26 members

This series will give novices tools required to observe objects in the night sky. The course consists of three components: observing with the naked eye; observing with binoculars; and observing with a telescope.

• Introduction to Archeoastronomy

Instructor: Rick Bates
1–3 p.m. + observing time, Saturday, Dec. 7
Fee: $15 non-members/$10 members

This class will look at the work of Aristotle, Ptolemy and Copernicus, plus Galileo, Brahe and Newton. It will go on to cover the work of people and cultures not always associated with classical astronomy—the Chinese, the ancient Babylonians and Hebrews, the Hindus, the Arabs, the Polynesians and the Native Americans of North and Central America. Students also learn about the Celts and their enigmatic contributions to early science.

The fee to register for the full series of classes is $100 for non-members or $75 for members. To register, and for more information on becoming a member of SoVerA, visit www.sovera.org. The deadline for registration is Oct. 25.

SoVerA is a 501(c)(3) organization intent on making astronomy science continuing education available and affordable to everyone. Members have spoken at numerous area schools, colleges and other regional venues.

— Compiled by Susan Lampe-Wilson