Most of the festivals in Traverse City, Michigan, revolve around cherries, horses, wine and beer. But this October the resort town will launch something a little more highbrow: the first annual Midwest Space Fest.
"You can look through telescopes at our amazing northern Michigan skies, enjoy a film, listen to music with a space theme or hear one of the greatest astronomers of our day talk about ‘runaway galaxies,’" said executive director Carolyn McKellar. "You can’t help but leave with a new feeling of wonder about the universe."
Timed to coincide with World Astronomy Week, the festival will be held October 4 and 5.
The wide vistas and comparative lack of city lights in Traverse (it’s located near the International Dark Sky Park at the tip of Lower Michigan) have always attracted astronomy enthusiasts.
The festival will begin in Traverse City’s art deco State Theatre with a screening of the Emmy-nominated documentary film, "The City Dark," a tour of the night sky by Rogers Observatory director Jerry Dobek, using fiber-optic "stars" installed in the theater ceiling.
On Saturday there will be a free solar viewing at Open Space Park, free indoor exhibits and activities, and a presentation by Alex Filippenko, who is best known for his appearances in the History Channel series, "The Universe."
The festival concludes Saturday evening with a "Star Party" offering multiple telescope viewings of the night sky.
The city is expecting "at least 1,000" people to attend. Tickets are available at www.magnorth.org.
