Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

I remember when my daughter and her family lived in California for a while the telephone rang one night at midnight. I answered the phone almost in a panic because those late night calls are always bad news, right... wrong. It was my granddaughter who at the time was probably not quite 4 and my daughter forgot the time difference. Baby girl as I call her wanted her Nannie to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with her. So there I was laying in a pitch dark bedroom singing with her and my husband being the good Poppy he is never said a word. I just wish we were able in this day and age to actually look up and see the stars twinkling in the sky. To tell the truth sometimes it is hard to see stars even on a clear night.

I just learned about the Dark Sky Festival which is pretty close to us here in central Florida. I think this would be a great thing to take the grandkids to experience. The purpose of the Dark Sky Festival is to celebrate and promote the benefits of a night-sky free from the effects of excessive artificial lighting. We live so close to Orlando that we can actually see some of the fireworks from time to time, but, can't see the stars in the sky. How sad is that? Pretty sad if you ask me. This event is sponsored by the the International Dark Sky Association, and it is their mission to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies by using quality outdoor lighting. They have telescopes available for viewing the stars,a kids zone explaining a lot of facts and myths to our kids and music Rare Earth. This really sounds like a fun filled night for the kids. This day and age there is so much light polution that like I said before it is next to impossible to see very many stars in the sky. If you live in the area or are here for spring break trust me this is something you want to check out. Here is more information for you to check out this awesome event.

Get Ready! This Year’s Dark Sky Festival is Out-of-this-World

HARMONY, FL – March 15, 2008 – The 5th Annual Dark Sky Festival at Harmony will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2008. Sponsored by the Harmony Institute, the Kissimmee Convention and Visitors Bureau, several astronomy clubs, the Osceola News Gazette and Florida Travel & Life Magazine, the event will kick off at 7pm in Harmony's Town Square.

“The Dark Sky Festival is intended to celebrate and promote the benefits of a night-sky free from the effects of excessive artificial lighting,” said Greg Golgowski, Harmony’s Conservation Director and a key member of the Dark Sky Festival Planning Committee. “Poor outdoor lighting not only washes out the splendor of the heavens, but also reduces visibility at night, wastes energy, and disturbs wildlife.”

As with the past four Dark Sky Festivals, attendees will be able to enjoy viewing the night skies through a variety of telescopes. There also be lots of music and food, numerous specialty booths, an educational zone with presentations from astronomers and other scientists, nocturnal creatures, a Cosmic Kids Zone and so much more.”

Local favorite, the Silver Clouds Orchestra, will start the entertainment portion of the evening at 7:00pm. This will be followed by a free concert by legendary recording artists, Rare Earth.

Rare Earth will take to Harmony’s outdoor amphitheatre stage at 8:00pm for a live concert chock full of their greatest hits including “Get Ready” and “I Just Want to Celebrate.”

“We are ecstatic to have Rare Earth performing at this year’s Festival,” said Shad Tome, president of Harmony Development Group. “We are encouraging everyone to wear comfortable shoes because Rare Earth is known for getting the whole audience up and dancing.”

The festival will be emceed by Magic 107.7’s afternoon drive on-air personality and program director Ken Payne.

The Festival is open to the general public. Over 3,500 people are expected to attend the event this year. The event will conclude around 11:00pm.

This date was selected because it falls on the heels of National Dark Sky week (March 29 – April 4); where people in the United States are encouraged to turn out their unnecessary outdoor lights in order to temporarily reduce light pollution.

For more information, please visit www.DarkSkyFestival.com or call 407-891-8358.