Well, howdy there! Let me tell ya ’bout this here East Valley Astronomy Club, or whatever they call it, EVAC for short. Sounds fancy, huh? But it’s just a bunch of folks, like you and me, who like lookin’ up at the night sky. They ain’t no different from the rest of us, just happen to like stars and such.
This here club, they been around since 1987. That’s a long time, even longer than I’ve been makin’ my famous apple pie! They started out small, just a handful of ’em, like a little patch of sunflowers in a big field. Now, they got over 200 folks! That’s more people than at the county fair, I tell ya!
So, what do they do, you ask? Well, they look at the stars, of course! They got these big ol’ telescopes, bigger than my wash tub, and they point ’em up at the sky and see all sorts of things. Planets, stars, moons… even those shootin’ stars that make you wanna make a wish. I always wished for a good crop of tomatoes, and it usually worked, so maybe there’s somethin’ to it.
They ain’t just keepin’ it to themselves neither. They like sharin’ what they know. They do this thing they call “public outreach,” which is just a fancy way of sayin’ they teach other folks about the sky. They go to schools and libraries and such, and show the young’uns what’s up there. That’s good, I say. Kids these days spend too much time lookin’ at them little screens, they need to look up once in a while.
- They got meetings, where they talk about star stuff.
- They got events, where they look at the stars together.
- They even got pictures and videos, though I reckon lookin’ at the real thing is better.
Now, they’re located in the East Valley, somewhere in Arizona, I think. I ain’t never been to Arizona, but I hear it’s hot. Hotter than my kitchen in the summertime, I bet. And Mesa, they’re in Mesa too, wherever that is. It’s all the same to me, long as they can see the stars.
They got this website and all, where you can find out more. I ain’t too good with them computer things, but my grandson showed me once. You can find their meetin’ schedule, see when they’re gonna be lookin’ at the stars, and even join up if you want. Though I reckon you don’t need to join nothin’ to look at the sky. Just step outside at night, it’s free for everyone.
They used to meet online, because of that there Covid thing. You know, the one that made everyone wear them masks and stay inside. But now they’re back to meetin’ in person, which is good. It’s always better to see folks face-to-face, I say. Though they still do that streamin’ thing for folks who can’t make it, which is nice, I guess. Always gotta keep up with the times, even if you don’t understand it half the time.
If you wanna join, you gotta fill out a form. Seems like everything needs a form these days. But it ain’t too hard, I reckon. And if you just wanna look through their telescopes, you can contact them and they’ll tell you when they’re havin’ a lookin’ party. They’re friendly folks, from what I hear. Just regular people who like stars.
So, that’s about all I know about this here East Valley Astronomy Club. They like stars, they like sharin’ what they know, and they got big telescopes. Sounds like a good bunch to me. And remember, lookin’ up at the stars is good for the soul. It makes you realize how small you are, and how big the world is. And that’s somethin’ we all need to remember sometimes.
Tags: [East Valley Astronomy Club, Mesa Astronomy Club, Gilbert Astronomy, Amateur Astronomy, Arizona Astronomy, Stargazing, Telescopes, Night Sky, Astronomy Events, Astronomy Education]
