Camp Cullom

Indiana Family Star Party
and
Indiana GreatCON 2009 Review
Prairie Grass Observatory logo
Indiana Astronomical Society
Muncie Astronomy Club
Wabash Valley Astronomical Society
Many people were required to make a star party happen. While we’ve called out a few people below, there are MANY more people who really made this work. These people put in a lot of work for the party for little recognition and only this acknowledgement.
“Hoppy” Bray – Camp Ranger and all around great guy made sure that the camp was ready for us that weekend, provided the cleanup, maintenance required during the star party and did more things for us than we could possibly count.
Jerry Seager, Camp Cullom Board President gave Hoppy a break and piloted the Space Shuttle for quite a few orbits this year. In addition, many of the other board members came out to help us host this event and greet our many visitors. They provide the support that allows for the construction and maintenance of Prairie Grass Observatory which is owned by the camp. They come out to meet us and the public that comes out each year to see what a star party is. During the year thousands of children come out to the camp and enjoy the great facilities. The board’s careful management of the camp for the children of Clinton County and surrounding areas has allowed us to provide access to nature, both here on Earth as well as in space, for kids of all ages. Without the board’s great and kind support, not only would this star party not be possible but the lives of the children in Clinton County and North Central Indiana would be greatly diminished.
Our organizing committee makes sure that jobs get assigned and done before, during and after the gathering. This group works countless hours to make sure this party can occur.
Our volunteers that cleaned up and prepared the camp before the party.
During the party, volunteers run registration, provide the maintenance, work with the vendors and speakers to make sure that things keep happening during the party as scheduled. They work with the weekend and walk-in guests and sacrifice their time so that the rest may play.
Afterwards, Star Party volunteers make sure that the camp is restored to the wonderful natural habitat that invites wildlife from blue heron to eagles in one of the largest stands of prairie grass in the state of Indiana.
Our vendors invest their time to come down and made sure to educate as well as sell their wares. These people share our idea of a family star party as being more than just observing. The star party is designed to teach kids, young and old, about what is out there and why it is important. They help us show people that the night sky is something to enjoy for its beauty as well as the science that can be involved.
Additionally, we acknowledge our spouses who pitch in to help and lose track of us for weeks at a time as they discuss, prepare and play. Some go so far as to provide a wonderful free meal for everyone before the food vendor has shown up and do not want any credit. The words "thank you" seem to be rather pale to what you put up with and do for us.
Last but certainly not least, THANK YOU to everyone who came and joined us. Everyone took the “Family” in the Indiana Family Star Party to be just that. There was no shortage of friends and family who shared their telescope views, their equipment, their food and their friendship to make this star party work. We thank everyone who came in helping us keep the family feeling in our little get together. We look forward to continuing the growth of the Indiana Family Star Party with your help… by careful attention to our core value of sharing astronomy with people of all ages.