Dark Skies of the Wet Mountain Valley presents the
Sangre Star Festival on June 19-20-21, 2020
About the Sangre Star Festival
Celebrating five years as Colorado’s first certified Dark Sky Community, Dark Skies of the Wet Mountain Valley is proud to present the inaugural Sangre Star Festival on June 19-20-21, 2020. Join us for a new moon Dark Sky Solstice Celebration. The Sangre Star Festival has been designed to appeal to not only amateur astronomers but also to casual stargazers and serious astro-seekers as well. We want to share the wonders of the night sky above us and the beauty of the valley before us. Get ready for an awesome astro-experience!
Here in the historic mountain towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, festival goers can experience the night sky and Milky Way in the same unspoiled way as our ancestors (weather permitting, request has been made to the sky god). Sitting at 7,888’ in the pristine Wet Mountain Valley of Colorado, we are the highest Dark Sky Community in the world, and thanks to community efforts to limit light pollution, the Milky Way can be seen from Main Street even with the lights on.
The evening epicenter of the Sangre Star Festival, aka “Galaxy Central,” is based at A Painted View Ranch, just 3 miles west of the town of Westcliffe, nestled in one of the state’s most beautiful and unspoiled areas, the Wet Mountain Valley. Boasting 160 acres, A Painted View Ranch easily accommodates large events, has ample space for evening festivities, including a huge arena for keynote programs, plenty of space for RV and trailer camping and room for public parking.
During the day, all Festival events and activities will take place at various satellite venues located in town, most within walking distance. Shuttle buses and vans will be available to transport attendees back and forth from The Bluff to A Painted View for the evening Galaxy Central Arena programs.
All net proceeds from the Sangre Star Festival will benefit the Dark Skies STEM Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships of $5,000 per year for four years to qualified applicants in Custer County seeking a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) related university degree.
Recreational Activities available in the Wet Mountain Valley:
Morning hike on Rainbow Trail (easy) ~ to an alpine lake (moderate) ~ a mountain peak (strenuous)
Bowling and game arcade at Cliff Lanes
Horseback riding in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
Shopping and Art Galleries
The Planet Walk
Inflatable Planetarium
Astro Tents
Silver Cliff Pickleball Tournament
Game On! Pocket Park
Cycling on miles of dirt roads
Sunset Ranch Amish Wagon Rides
WHAT TO EXPECT
First and foremost, expect a slower pace in a peaceful place. No need to be in a rush, breath in the fresh mountain air. Enjoy the panoramic view of the Sangres and embrace the wilderness. Please respect our beautiful valley and do not litter our roads. Cell phone service will be spotty, consider it an opportunity to enjoy a digital detox while you are here. This is a small, rural, thriving town without a traffic light. We don’t have a Starbucks but we have many fine coffee shops to choose from. We have two local markets, a Dollar General and Family Dollar for supplies. We have a few restaurants, a bakery, a butcher, two ice cream shops, and will have food trucks available on The Bluff during the day until 6pm. There are three gas stations. We have many wonderful small local shops and art galleries that we hope you will visit while you are here. This is a family friendly event but please keep in mind, it’s a late night event too. Stargazing will begin after 9pm.
Expect to be outdoors most of the time. Be prepared with proper clothing in the mountains where the weather and wind are very unpredictable, layering is recommended. Whether it’s rain or shine, the Festival will happen. The Galaxy Central Arena can comfortably accommodate large groups of people.
Festival on-site registration will take place at Cliff Lanes and The Bluff on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Stay and play at Cliff Lanes; when was the last time you were in a bowling alley with eight lanes and a game arcade? Bring good walking shoes to explore our local shops, art galleries and historic sites. Slow down to experience easy-going, laid back, warm Western hospitality.
On Summer Solstice Saturday, Festival satellite venues in town will provide education, entertainment, inspiration, gallery hopping, shopping and vendor opportunities with plenty of outdoor recreation activities throughout the day. Attendees will immerse themselves in the wonders of the Wet Mountain Valley and the Sangre de Cristo mountains. As the satellite venues in town hold between 40 to 100 people, attendees will chose the events they want to attend. Most festivities are all within a comfortable walking distance.
During the evening hours, Festival events will primarily take place at the Smokey Jack Observatory on The Bluff and Galaxy Central, aka our Festival hub located at A Painted View Ranch. The Galaxy Arena will host our Stellar Speakers, featuring amazing keynote presentations including SKYGLOW, The Galaxy Hitchhiker, The End of Night, and Galactic Images.
After the presentations in the Galaxy Central Arena, there will be a campfire that just may inspire sing-a-alongs and acoustic musical instruments to come out in the CYGNUS CANTINA. Attendees will find music and dancing in LYRA’S LOUNGE with beer and wine available for purchase in the HOUSE OF HERCULES (sponsored by Custer County Chamber of Commerce). The TELESCOPIUM TERRACE will be a large open space in a dark corner of the ranch to bring your own telescope or peer through the many scopes that will be set-up. XENIA’S HOSPITALITY DEN is exclusively for Dark Sky Defenders to enjoy refreshments in the Ranch House. And of course, there will be plenty of stargazing and astrophotography opportunities.
GETTING AROUND
We are encouraging attendees to park their vehicles for the weekend and take advantage of festival transportation to keep our roads clear, quiet and not churn up road dust. Bus and van shuttles will be available during the three day event to transport Festival attendees between The Bluff and A Painted View. The town is small and easy to walk around, bring good walking shoes! If you are into cycling, bring your bike as it’s a flat and beautiful valley floor road between the two locations. The road is paved except for the last half mile at the ranch. Main roads are paved but most roads in Custer County are dirt. Please drive slowly on the dirt roads so as to avoid kicking up dust that gets into the atmosphere.
“The nighttime environment is a precious natural resource for all life on Earth. Experiencing the night sky provides perspective, inspiration, and leads us to reflect on our humanity and place in the universe.”
FESTIVAL GUIDELINES
When attending a star party, there are a few guidelines one should keep in mind out of respect and courtesy of others.
Avoid use of white lights, use red lights sparingly. If for some reason you must use a white light, give fair warning to those around you.
Never touch anyone else's equipment without permission, but don't be afraid to ask. Never touch any glass optical surface.
Avoid loud and boisterous behavior. Astronomy is a quiet, peaceful activity.
Please don't litter. Keep our town beautiful and clean.
Drive slowly on the dirt roads so as to avoid kicking up dust into the atmosphere.
Children—If you bring children, they must always behave under your supervision.
Pets—If you bring your pet, must be on a leash at all times and under control.
Music—For the consideration of others, if you listen to your own music, please wear a headset.
Alcohol—If you consume alcohol please don't violate the unwritten "loud and boisterous" rule. Be aware that alcohol may adversely affect your night vision and body temperature.
Be kind and considerate of others. We’re all here because of stardust.
WHAT TO BRING
In a small effort to be green in town and at Galaxy Central. Please bring the following personal items:
Refillable water bottle
Reusable coffee mug
Cloth shopping bag
Red flashlight or headlamp
Comfortable camp chair for arena programs and stargazing
Warm blanket, hat & gloves for late night comfort
Stellar Speakers
Harun Mehmedinovic: SKYGLOW
FRIDAY, JUNE 19 @7PM
Harun Mehmedinovic is a regular video and photography contributor to BBC Earth, and has contributed photographs and videos to Vogue Italia, National Geographic, Astronomy Magazine, BBC Travel, Discovery Science, and Blindfold Magazine.Harun's work has been featured by various media outlets and has been a subject of a TEDx Talk.
He is the author of three books including the astrophotography book and time lapse series: SKYGLOW. His videos have been used at various events, most notably by The Rolling Stones 2016 tour, Pink Floyd's Roger Waters 2016 Tour, Desert Trip Concert, Paul Simon's 2018 Farewell Tour, and Cosmic Gate music video "am2pm," and National Park Service’s “100 Years” centennial video; among others. Recently, Harun began work as a cinematographer on Ice on Fire, a Leonardo DiCaprio-produced documentary for HBO due for release, and provided visuals for Akicita, a documentary film which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January 2018.
SKYGLOWPROJECT.COM is an ongoing quest to explore the effects and dangers of urban light pollution in contrast with some of the most incredible Dark Sky areas in North America. Brainchild of Gavin Heffernan and Harun Mehmedinovic, the book and time lapse video project is produced in collaboration with the International Dark-Sky Association.
Dr. Ulyana N. Horodyskyj: GALAXY HITCHHIKER
SATURDAY, JUNE 20 @8PM
This inspiring program will be open FOR FREE to all Custer County students to hear about bright possibilities in their future.
Dr. Ulyana N. Horodyskyj was one of 120 semifinalists out of 18,354 applicants for NASA’s 2017 astronaut class. She completed her Ph.D. in geological and Earth sciences/geosciences and in October 2015 graduated from Project PoSSUM. In September/October 2016, Ulyana was chosen as mission commander for the NASA Johnson Space Center’s HERA XII (Human Exploration Research Analog), a 30-day isolation experiment, simulating a long-duration mission to an asteroid.
In addition to this, she is the founder of Science in the Wild, an adventure citizen science company that specializes in getting people out on extraordinary experiences around the world. She has led expeditions to the Himalayas, Andes, Canadian Arctic, and Tanzania (Kilimanjaro), and has hiked 42 peaks and high points. Ulyana was named one of the “world’s most adventurous women” by Men’s Journal in January 2019.
At six years old, Ulyana saw her first mountains—the Swiss Alps—and was hooked. In elementary and high school, she was crafting science fair projects and competing at the national and international levels. At 13, she completed a science fair project on space travel using solar sails instead of fuel, which earned her enough scholarship funding to attend college. She meshed her interests in the outdoors and science as a geology major at Rice University in Houston, Texas. By age 23, she had traveled to and worked on all seven continents.
As a female, she has encountered many professional and personal challenges and has overcome them to earn her Ph.D and found her own science education company. We need girls and women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) now more than ever!
“I’m excited to be a part of this new frontier in space—with women and men working alongside each other, as professionals and citizen scientists, taking those next big steps—for all of humankind.”
John Chumack: Galactic Images
FRIDAY, JUNE 19 @8PM
Astrophotography is the art of photographing or imaging objects in deep space, a very unique form of photographic art that requires an extreme amount of patience, time and lots of practice to master. John is an an author and experienced master of out-of-this-world imagery.
Galactic Images is an international astrophotography fine art business. In 1989 John began systematically photographing the night sky with his homemade telescopes. After two short years he found his artwork to be in high demand, which prompted the creation of "Galactic Images" in 1992. He travels around the country selling his astro-photographs at fine art shows and numerous galleries & Museum Exhibitions, participating in approximately 20 shows a year aside from his normal day job at The University of Dayton’s Research Institute. His work is sold in 35 foreign countries around the world. Over 1200 of his images have been published in many science & astronomy books, software, Science Television Programs, and major magazines including National Geographic, front cover of Time, Science, Discover, Newsweek, Astronomy and Sky & Telescope, etc. NASA also publishes John's images regularly via NASA's websites APOD & EPOD.
Paul Bogard: The End of Night
SUNDAY, JUNE 21 @11AM
Paul Bogard is the author of The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light. Paul traveled the globe to find the night, blending personal narrative, natural history, health, science, and folklore to shed light on darkness. Showing exactly what we've lost, what we have left, and what we might hope to regain, he attempts nothing less than a restoration of how we see the spectacularly primal, wildly dark night sky.
Paul is editor of the anthology Let There Be Night: Testimony on Behalf of the Dark, a collection of essays by twenty-eight writers on the value of darkness and the costs of light pollution. His articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Slate, Salon, Los Angeles Times, Outside, Audubon, Conservation, Reader's Digest, National Geographic, Creative Nonfiction, and elsewhere.
A native Minnesotan, Paul grew up exploring the forest and watching the stars near a lake in the northern part of the state. He has lived and taught in New Mexico, Nevada, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, and is now associate professor of English at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he teaches creative nonfiction and environmental literature.
Solstice Saturday Workshops
ASTRONOMY
Presentations hosted by Peter K. Detterline and Gary A. Becker. Location of community hall and times pending. Holds up to 200 people.
PETER K. DETTERLINE is an avid astronomer whose interests cover a wide range of the astronomical spectrum. For thirty-five years he was the Director of the Boyertown Planetarium, where he gave programs to over half a million people. This past year he won the Thomas Brennan award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for exceptional achievement related to teaching high school astronomy. He currently teaches at Montgomery County Community College. In research he has coauthored numerous papers on eclipsing binaries and contributes data to various organizations. He is the Observatory Director for the Mars Society where he heads up an Astronomy Team providing a solar and a robotic telescope for their members at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. The robotic telescope is also used remotely by students around the world.
Peter was selected to be part of the “Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador Program,” where he visited the largest American observatories in that country. As an amateur astronomer he has traveled the globe to view solar eclipses, built his own observatory, and has completed many observing programs including the Astronomical League’s “Master Observer”.
When he’s not staring at the heavens, Peter is preaching about them as a commissioned minister for the United Church of Christ, and fills in for various churches as needed. Astronomy for him is a deeply enriching experience that connects the heavens to the Earth.
GARY A. BECKER has had a lifelong passion for astronomy, photography and sky watching. As director for 38 years of the award-winning Allentown (PA) School District Planetarium, and currently, Adjunct Professor of Astronomy at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA, Gary has taught astronomy from the preschool to the graduate level under the electronic as well as the natural sky.
An ardent traveler, Gary has hosted tours to observe and photograph comets and eclipses and has taken urban students to the Southwest to view the heavens from some of the darkest locales in the United States. He and his pupils volunteered as Night Sky Interpreters at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, NM and Bryce Canyon National Park, UT between 1999 and 2006. In 2012, he joined the Astronomy Team of the Mars Society where he helps to maintain and enhance the Elon Musk (Solar) Observatory and the MDRS Robotic Observatory at the Mars Desert Research Station near Hanksville, Utah, the latter which supports the astronomy program at Moravian College.
Gary A. Becker’s half-century of amateur and professional interests in astronomy have provided him with a unique perspective for writing and teaching. He has authored the book that his Moravian astronomy students use, edited the national newsletter of the Astronomical League, The Reflector, founded (1996) and continues to maintain as an educational outreach the very visual website astronomy.org, and has for nearly a quarter century written a homespun, informative weekly column called StarWatch which is distributed to the Moravian community and appears in 25 newspapers nationwide.
11:00 AM The Moon—Not a Place to Raise Kids: Baked during the day, frozen at night, the airless and nearly waterless moon’s 4.5-billion-year history is filled with periods of catastrophic meteoritic bombardments, lunar wide epochs of volcanism, then billions of years of relative quiescence. Because the moon at present changes so slowly, its history is preserved in the landscape of its surface features that we observe today. Join Peter Detterline and Gary Becker on a voyage of discovery across Luna’s “seas” and highlands to unravel the geologic history of our nearest neighbor in space.
12:30 PM Constellations—A Beer Might Help You See Them Better: Your presenters, Gary Becker and Peter Detterline, have spent their professional careers helping students become familiar with the night sky through their planetarium programming. Being able to identify constellations has been a part of that experience. Although there are some star patterns that are seen by virtually everyone, others—well, might be open to interpretation. Pete and Gary will focus on mainly seasonal patterns with some having an interpretation unique to the presenter. Don’t be surprised if a good-natured “fight” breaks out on stage. They are passionate about their pictures.
2:00 PM Planets—Wanderers of the Night: NASA orbiters and flyby missions have imaged all of them, but Peter Detterline and Gary Becker will only highlight the best photography taken of these objects, including a picture now and then of a planetary moon, comet, dwarf planet, and asteroid. By program’s end you’ll have a better “picture” of the diversity and the similarities among members of the inner and outer solar system family. At midnight some of the telescopes of the Sangre Star Festival will surely be turned toward Jupiter and Saturn, which will be peeking like twins over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, followed by Mars at 2:30 a.m., and Venus by dawn. Sleep may be a thing of the past.
3:30 PM Deep Sky for a Dark Sangre Night: There’s a party in the sky, celebrated by a cornucopia of different objects that are best seen under a crisp Sangre evening. BYOT—bring your own telescope (and or binoculars) or view through a scope hosted by a member of the Sangre Star Festival. At the end of twilight, the Milky Way, our home galaxy, will be straddling the eastern sky like a cotton candy cloud. In it are clusters of stars, both big and small, double and multiple star systems, regions where luminaries are being born and others that are taking their last gasp of “breath.” Gary Becker and Peter Detterline will provide the pre-celebratory activities to help participants appreciate how these objects fit into the big picture, as well as observing tips when you view through the eyepiece of a scope later during the evening. Our talk is just the beginning. Seeing these celestial gems properly through a telescope is the real deal.
ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY
Presentations presented at Cliff Lanes from 10:00 AM TO 5:00 PM. Community Room holds up to 80 people theater style.
10:00 AM: INTRO TO NIGHT SKY PHOTOGRAPHY USING A DSLR CAMERA
CHRIS SCHERPENSEEL is a native of Colorado and an amateur astronomer. In 2013 he became a serious landscape and night sky photographer. Over the past several years he has participated in numerous workshops and visited several dark sky locations to shoot the night sky. Today he travels frequently to starry sites to capture the Milky Way, the moon and other celestial objects. Previous photography trips have taken him to: Arches National Park, Canyonlands, Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, the Oregon coast, Alaska and Iceland. In 2020, Chris will be on location shooting the night sky in Arizona, Big Bend National Park (Texas) and Westcliffe (Colorado).
Several of Chris’ images are currently on display at Fiske Planetarium in Boulder. He is also one of four featured astro-photographers at the University of Colorado (Boulder) “Wonders of the Night Sky Through Artistic Lenses” showcase in November 2019. Previously his images have been featured at both Goodson and Lone Tree Recreation Centers. In the Spring of 2019, his image “Night Currents” was selected for exhibit at the “Exploring the Light” exhibition at Lone Tree Art Center. Previously his images have been sold at Gallery 873 in St. George, Utah. Many of his best images can be found on his website.
12:00 NOON: BACKYARD ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY
GARY LOPEZ, Ph.D. is a film maker, software developer and entrepreneur. His media company, Archipelago (acquired by Harcourt Brace Publishing), created multimedia learning software that was adopted by high schools and colleges nationwide, and used by millions of students. He has written and produced more than 100 documentary films, including television programs (both series and specials) for Jacques Cousteau and his son, Jean-Michel Cousteau. His documentaries have been broadcast nationally in the United States, distributed throughout Europe and Asia, and have received numerous awards. In 2006, President George W. Bush cited one of Gary’s documentaries, Voyage to Kure, as his inspiration for his designation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Island National Monument, one of the largest protected areas in the world. Gary is currently the CEO of the NROC Project, a national non-profit education foundation he founded in 2003 that is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and uses cutting-edge software technology to serve millions of student nationwide.
Gary is also an amateur astrophotographer, shooting his first image with a mail-order telescope and a camera fashioned from a shoe box when he was twelve years old. His passion for space photography has continued through the years and his recent deep-sky imagery explores the artistic boundaries allowed by the newest camera, filter, and software technology. He was recently named a Top 100 Trending Astrophotographer by AstroBin, the largest amateur astrophotography community in the world with more than 750,000 users from 220 countries.
2:00 PM: NATURE FIRST & RESPONSIBLE OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY
A discussion on values and ethics for nature photography in an era of social media. JASON HATFIELD’S childhood was spent surrounded by the corn and soy fields that stretch across Ohio. While the flat farmlands of the Midwest are beautiful in their own right, Jason couldn’t wait for his family’s regular trips out west, where they’d spend weeks at a time camping and hiking through the likes of Yellowstone, Zion, Grand Canyon, and Rocky Mountain National Park. Part of the draw was the break from northwest Ohio’s scenic monotony—the thundering geysers at Yellowstone, the towering hills of Great Sand Dunes, a fiery sunset over the rim of the Grand Canyon, even the grizzlies of Denali National Park—but there was something deeper at play. Having grown up surrounded by land that was crisscrossed by farming roads and sectioned off by the acre, Jason discovered it was wondrous to explore the outdoors in a place not structured by man.
Over the past 34 years, his desire to explore more of these diverse landscapes has only intensified. He’s visited 33 of the 60 national parks, and now that he’s older, his adventures therein have grown in intensity. Some of his favorite moments include running rim-to-rim through the Grand Canyon, backpacking in Denali with the eponymous peak dominating the skyline and an endless sea of blueberries stretching to the horizon, and seeing the Northern Lights over Hidden Lake in Glacier. With the diversity of the nation’s parks, these awe-inspiring moments just keep piling up. On a recent trip to Kenai Fjords, he and his wife were kayaking in front of a massive tidewater glacier when a quarter-mile piece of ice calved off right in front of them. Today, Jason makes a living sharing his love for the parks through photography, videography, workshops, and even educational materials such as eBooks and photography tutorials. “My vision is to share the beauty of our world through photographs and videos,” he writes on his site. “I want to reveal all that is breathtaking and beautiful, astonishing and different. Whether it’s a place often visited or not at all, I want others to see the world as I have, and to motivate them to continue the protection and care of our wilderness.”
4:00 PM: ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY
LARS LEBER was born and raised in Germany. Since moving to Colorado Springs, he has spent a lot of time in the outdoors to pursue hiking, backpacking and fishing. Lars is extremely passionate about photography and always comes up with new exciting Colorado landscape photographs. Instead of writing a few paragraphs about “the essence of the landscape,” “my wholesome connection with the environment,” ”glorious inner visions,” and whatever other fancy words many photographers use we will keep this simple. Lars just wants to “take interesting photos.” Winner of the Gazette’s “Best of the Springs” Fine Art Photography Award in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019!
Festivities
Alla Prima Westcliffe: June 13-21
Sangres Art Guild The 14th Annual Plein Air Paint Out
An artful week of outdoor painting in the picturesque Wet Mountain Valley. This paint-from-life event consists of alla prima (“all at once”) painting created entirely from life during the weeklong event. Subject matter includes landscapes, ranch life, figurative, nocturnes and more. We’ll have visits to special painting locations, a special “Starry Night Over the Sangres” painting event, nocturne painting and mini-competitions during the week where site-specific paintings will be on sale. The event culminates in a gala exhibition reception, sale and awards ceremony on Saturday, June 20 from 4:00-6:00pm at the 3rd Street Gallery. Alla Prima Westcliffe starts the week before the Sangre Star Festival and will wrap up the same day on Sunday, June 21. The art show will continue through June 29.
Starry Night Over the Sangres: Friday, June 19
In collaboration with Custer County Tourism and the Sangres Art Guild, a special Alla Prima Westcliffe afternoon event—a painting competition where artists will create their rendition of a “Starry Night Over the Sangres.” Every medium is accepted. The favored artwork will be selected for future marketing of Custer County and the artist will receive a cash prize.
StARTrek Gallery Walk & Art Hunt: Friday & Saturday, June 19-20
Sponsored by Sangres Art Guild
Build your team. Follow the stars. Find the art. Collect the stickers. Win stellar prizes. Complete details to come.
Live Music: Saturday, June 20
Musical Groups at All Aboard Westcliffe. Venue holds about 100 people.
We are excited to feature excellent Colorado musicians, playing a variety of music genres:
11:00am - A.J. Fullerton from Fort Collins, is a very talented blues musician, who plays way above his age. In the few short years of his professional career, A.J. has won a number of awards and accolades. In 2016, he was the winner of the Colorado Blues Society’s “I.B.C. Competition,” as well as winning many Colorado Blues Society “Members Choice Awards.”
1:00pm - Smythe and Taylor, are an award-winning, local Custer County songwriting duo who have performed together since 1999 and have released 11 commercial recordings. They will bring their wonderful songwriting and guitar skills to the Festival stage.
3:00pm - Nerea The Fiddler, from Castle Rock, is sure to wow the audience with her Celtic fiddle playing while stepdancing. She will be accompanied by her bouzouki player (kind of like a large mandolin/guitar instrument). Nerea combines elegance and strength in her powerful interpretation of traditional and modern fiddle repertoire. Her fiddling fused with stepdancing has left audiences speechless in over four continents, from Dubai to Paris, Los Angeles to Casablanca. Her music hails from the deeply rooted Celtic traditions of Cape Breton Island, Canada where was raised breathing music.
Musical Groups In Concert at Hermit Pavilion. Venue holds about 100 people.
12:00pm - The Cañon Dixieland Band playing Traditional Dixieland music with favorites like “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate,” “Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey,” Royal Garden Blues,”” Maple Leaf Rag,” Riverboat Shuffle” and others as performed by greats like Bix Beiderbeck, Muggsy Spanier, Kid Ory, Louie Armstrong, King Oliver, Scott Joplin and others.
2:00pm – Swing Farm, a collaboration of three seasoned professional musicians who share a love of Gypsy Jazz and classic Swing Standards…Chris Hartung, a long-time veteran of many musical genres and bands, holds down the guitar duties with steady rhythm and exhilarating solos. Drew Horton fills the high end with enthusiastic mandolin and occasional vocals. Dan Epperson, former music teacher, band leader, brass and string player plays bass.
Women in Astronomy: Saturday, June 20
Sponsored by The Women’s Story Project
A theatrical readers theater through the use of scene portrayals, monologue, poetry, and song, engaging the audience in heart-warming, amusing, and informational stories, that highlight the lives of women today and the past who have contributed to astronomy and space technology. This presentation will take place for everyone to see in the Galaxy Central Arena at 7:00pm.
Local Astro-Archaeological Site Visit: Saturday, June 20
Bear Basin Ranch, located some 11 miles east of Silver Cliff and Westcliffe, is the site of several probable astronomically aligned solstice viewing platforms that pre-date European ventures into the area. Overlooking camping areas with views toward spiritually important Pikes Peak and The Shining Mountains and the nearby Sangre de Cristo Range, the sites contain stone-lined circles, cairns, mounds, with shaped, peeled and bent trees arranged in alignment with solstice sunrise, sunset, cardinal directions and geographical features. Believed to have been put in place as a ceremonial destination by annually camping Ute clans, the ridge top sites are easily accessible by foot on Bear Basin Ranch property.
Ranch owners Amy Finger and Gary Ziegler are inviting small groups of Festival registrants to experience one of the sites during the summer solstice. Gary is a professional archaeologist with extensive exploration, research, and publications on Machu Picchu and high Andean, Inca ceremonial sites. He and interested others have been conducting archaeological investigations at home in Bear Basin and around the region for some time.
The first group of 10 will be transported from the Bluffs by Rotary van at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, in order to view sunrise from the site as native peoples would have done centuries ago. Two additional groups of 10 will leave the Bluff at 9am and 1pm for a walking tour of the site. The sunrise group will need layered clothing to ward off the morning chill (elevation is about 8,700 feet), and all groups will need personal, non-plastic water supplies.
Ziegler and Finger will be unavailable at the time, and have authorized local residents Wayne Ewing, Ph.D. and Deanne Montgomery, a Smokey Jack Observatory docent, to guide the site tours. This special tour with limited availability will have an additional cost of $30 with proceeds going directly to the STEM Scholarship Fund.
Lucky Stars Shop Card: All weekend
Every Festival attendee will receive a Lucky Stars Shop Card to encourage spending with local merchants, shops and restaurants. Every purchase at a participating local business will receive a lucky star on their card, and five lucky stars enters the card into a Festival Drawing with grand prizes including an overnight astronomy experience at Rancho Bendito (value $450) with a university-grade observatory 12 miles north of Westcliffe, a dark sky necklace (value $375) from Cheryl Swartz, Jewelrysmith and two 4 day passes (value $170) to High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival. More great prizes will be added!
Planet Walk: All weekend
Sponsored by Dark Skies of the Wet Mountain Valley
Planet Walk is a scale model of the solar system set up on the loop trail at the Bluff Park. Beginning with the Sun station near the Smokey Jack Observatory, visitors can walk along the trail to each planet station where a sign will give some “fun facts” about the planet, a scaled planet image, and the scaled distance in feet to the Sun and the next planet. The impact of the vast distances and minute sizes of the planets will drive home the unimaginable sparseness that dominates our home solar system. Total walking distance is less than a quarter mile.
Game On! Pocket Park: All weekend
Be sure to visit the Game On! Pocket Park. Located just west of the Jones Theater, the park offers two chess tables, a bag toss, bocce ball court, horseshoes and many other activities. So bring your family and get your Game On!
Sunset Ranch Amish Wagon Rides: All weekend
During the day, the wagon is available for hire from The Bluff for a one hour Valley Ride to Grape Creek and back or a one hour loop around town for a Heritage Tour. In the evening, wagon rides will be from A Painted View Ranch for a half hour Starry Night Ride on a country road under the night sky. Wagon accommodates 10 people comfortably.
Pancake Breakfast: Sunday, June 21
Hosted by the Wet Mountain Valley Rotary Club
A Rotary Pancake Breakfast for $10 per person (optional) will be available on Sunday morning from 7:00am to 10:00am at A Painted View Ranch. This is a major fundraiser for their student scholarships, so please have Sunday breakfast at Galaxy Central to support the kids and enjoy fluffy pancakes and sausage. 100% of the proceeds go to local student scholarships.
Shakespeare in the Sangres: June 12-July 5
Westcliffe Center for the Performing Arts presents a play each evening in the beautiful amphitheater behind the Jones Theater in Westcliffe. Experience these Shakespeare productions in a repertory theater setting. Guests are encouraged to arrive early, bring blankets and/or chairs and enjoy a picnic on the lawn. Sunday afternoon performance is at 2:00pm after the Festival is over.
Camping & Lodging
CAMPING & LODGING
For the full Festival experience from morning to night, limited RV and trailer camping spaces are available for a two night stay (Friday & Saturday) at A Painted View Ranch and will be offered with ticket sales as part of the Festival Gateway process. Pre-paying guarantees you a campsite if you pay in advance when purchasing a Festival ticket.
There are 36 RV plug-in sites and 100 dry camping sites for RVs and trailers, (sorry, no tents) at A Painted View, where most evening activities will take place. Additional camping sites, including tent camping, will be available in town near The Bluff, close to day time festivities and the Smokey Jack Observatory. Port-a-johns will be conveniently located along with central water access.
Campers will be assigned sites on a first come, first serve basis. Camping sites open at noon on Festival Friday. The camping rates are for a two night stay on Friday and Saturday. Additional camping nights may be booked on Thursday and Sunday night for an additional fee. All campers must leave the campgrounds no later than Monday at high noon.
Advanced reservations for lodging are highly recommended as local accommodations are limited. Visit Custer County has a comprehensive list of lodging options, including AirBnB/VRBO, Camping, Inns and Motels in the county.
Gateway Ticketing
Public ticket sales will be available online on the Winter Solstice, December 21, 2019. Tickets are limited. If you are interested in obtaining a ticket for yourself or as a great holiday gift for someone, sign up for our email list to stay up-to-date with Festival and Dark Skies news. As a subscriber you will receive an exclusive early access ticket link on 12/12 BEFORE tickets are opened to the public! If you would like to a guarantee a ticket right now, before the advanced ticket sales, you can purchase an individual Dark Sky Defender ticket, see below, by contacting Debbie Adams at festival@darkskiescolorado.org
No refunds will be given once ticket is purchased. If you are unable to attend, the ticket fee will be a donation to the STEM Scholarship Fund.
$30 ~ STAR SEEKER
Individual Gateway with full access to live music, astro-workshops, festivities in town, on The Bluff, Smokey Jack Observatory, and at Galaxy Central/A Painted View Ranch.
$50 ~ GLOBULAR STAR CLUSTER
Limited Family Gateway, tickets for 2 adults and up to five children under 18 with access to festivities in town, at The Bluff Park, Smokey Jack Observatory, and at Galaxy Central/A Painted View Ranch.
$100 ~ OPEN STAR CLUSTER
Expanded Family Gateway, tickets for 2 adults and up to five children under 18 with full access to live music performances, astro-workshops, festivities in town, at The Bluff Park, Smokey Jack Observatory, and at Galaxy Central/A Painted View Ranch.
$250 ~ DARK SKY DEFENDER
If you enjoy a good party, this is the best way to experience this stellar event. $100 is tax-deductible as a contribution to the STEM Scholarship Fund.
A stellar three day, elevated festival experience including limited-edition souvenir short sleeve tee shirt, reserved prime seating for workshops and programs in the Galaxy Central Arena, exclusive entry into Xenia’s Hospitality Den for refreshments, Sunday night celebration dinner with our Stellar Speakers and all Festival activities.
FESTIVAL EXTRAS (OPTIONAL)
FESTIVAL CAMPING FOR TWO NIGHTS ON FRIDAY & SATURDAY
There is limited camping areas at A Painted View and in town near The Bluff. Pre-paying guarantees you a campsite if you pay in advance when purchasing a Festival ticket. Additional camping nights may be booked on Thursday and Sunday night for an additional fee. Reservations for any accommodation are highly recommended as there are limited campgrounds, town motels and county Airbnb/VRBO in rural Westcliffe & Silver Cliff. See Visit Custer County for a listing of local lodging options.
$30 Campsite in town near The Bluff (Tents are OK) | Extra night on Thursday or Sunday $15 per night.
$40 Painted View Trailer Dry Camping (No Tents are allowed) | Extra night on Thursday or Sunday $20 per night.
$60 Painted View RV Electrical (36 hook-ups are available) | Extra night on Thursday or Sunday $30 per night.
$32 SANGRE STAR FESTIVAL LIMITED EDITION SOUVENIR TEE
The wondrous night sky has inspired generations of humans to imagine what lies beyond. The Festival tee shirt with the Reach for the Stars! design is a homage to the amazing Cartographer of the Universe, Margaret Geller. She spent her lifetime dedicated to the unthinkable task of mapping the universe to understand the patterns of galaxies we see today! This Astronomy-inspired design was created to capture the magnificence of the stars at night. Black, organic cotton, short-sleeve adults' t-shirt features a glow-in-the-dark constellations design. Available in adult size. To activate glow-in-the-dark ink, expose the garment to direct light for 20 minutes. Pre-paying guarantees a souvenir tee shirt if you pay in advance when purchasing a Festival ticket. Tee shirts pre-ordered will be available for pick-up at Festival registration. A limited supply will be available for sale at the Festival.
$30 ASTRO-ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE VISIT ON SATURDAY, JUNE 20
See full description of site visit above under FESTIVITIES. Limited space is available for three tours. The first group will experience the solstice sunrise by departing from The Bluff at 4:45am to view sunrise from the site as native peoples would have done centuries ago. Two additional groups of 10 will leave the Bluff at 9am and 1pm for a walking tour of the site.
$10 ROTARY PANCAKE & SAUSAGE BREAKFAST ON SUNDAY, JUNE 21 AT 7:00 AM
A delicious Rotary Pancake Breakfast will be served on Sunday morning from 7:00am to 10:00am at A Painted View Ranch. This is a major fundraiser for their student scholarships, so please have Sunday breakfast at Galaxy Central to support the kids and enjoy fluffy pancakes and grilled sausage. 100% of the proceeds go to local student scholarships.
Bright Stars
SHINING STARS: SIRIUS - Donna Hood, A Painted View | VEGA - Cathy Snow - Dark Skies, Inc. - Dark Sky Vacations - Sunset Ranch, LLC | RIGEL - Carol & Jim Crowley - Greenstone Artworks - Sangres Art Guild
COMMUNITY PARTNERS: A Painted View Ranch, Dark Skies, Inc., Custer County Tourism, Rotary Club of the Wet Mountain Valley, Sangres Art Guild, Cliff Lanes, KLZR 91.7 FM, West Custer County Library, Custer County Chamber of Commerce, In Concert: Classical Music in the Valley, Women’s Story Project
DARK SKY DEFENDERS: Debbie Adams & Matt Erickson, Jenny & Bryan Anderson, Stephanie & Jim Davis, Dana & Derick Diehl, Sam & Frosty Frostman, Donna & Ralph Hood, Kristine Hopkins & Michael Hayes, Terri & Wilson Jarvis, Angie & Herb Kober, Monty Lee, Judy & Rick Meckstroth, Deanne & Alan Montgomery, Cathy Snow, Karolyn Snow & Joseph Rook, Stephanie & Chris Scherpenseel, Amanda Stewart, Pat Tyrell, Kathleen & Gary Taylor, Pam & Bob Wolf
STAR FESTIVAL ENDEAVOR CREW: Debbie Adams, Commander; Donna Hood, Starship Captain; Yesenia & Andrew Miller, Creative Marketing Duo; Charley Ellison, Treasurer; Ambassadors: Jim Bradburn, Susan Clark, Bob Fulton, Courtney Miller, Robert Wolf
We seek Bright Stars and Dark Sky Defenders to provide financial strength and company presence to support the Sangre Star Festival. With astro-tourism being a top travel trend, we expect to be at full capacity. All net proceeds of the Festival will benefit the Dark Skies STEM Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships of $5,000 per year for four years to qualified applicants seeking a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) related university degree. Sponsorship tiers range from $250-$5000.
If you would like details to come aboard the Star Festival Endeavor to be part of this exciting opportunity, download the Bright Star Sponsorship sign-up forms or contact Debbie Adams via festival@darkskiescolorado.org for more information. Sign up by APRIL 20, 2020 to guarantee inclusion in Festival souvenir program. We greatly appreciate your consideration and generosity to be a Bright Star and a Dark Sky Defender at the Sangre Star Festival!