Boulder Creek Star Party Report
By Mike Shade

Having just returned from a star party I put on at a local preschool, I thought I would let fellow TACies know how it went. Overall it was a success. Although the kids were a little young, many of them and their parents seemed to enjoy the event. The objects viewed were few: the Moon, M42, M44, M45, M44, and Sirius rounded out the evening. The sky was surprisingly good for an in town location (downtown Boulder Creek). There was one other telescope present besides my 6" AP: an older Meade 8" Newtonian that looked a little worse for wear. However its appearance didn't seem to diminish the views and the 40+ people didn't seem to mind waiting in line for a peek at the Moon. The event was also an opportunity to distribute some TAC and IDA literature. In addition, it was good to network with some of the locals as this might allow access to potential sites for astronomy.