Join the
Bucks-Mont Astronomical Association in its 22nd year of the
Stella Della Valley StarParty in beautiful Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
The weekend will be filled with vendors, swap meet, a great pizza party
and door prizes raffles, guest lecturers and of course two nights of terrific
stargazing. Stella Della Valley has built a reputation as a friendly relaxed
StarParty where astronomical friends gather from all over southeastern
PA, NJ, DE and NY.
Location
Stella Della Valley
will again be held at Camp Onas, a private camp near Ottsville, PA. This
site in northern Bucks County offers some of the darkest skies remaining
in the Philadelphia and Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area. Stella Della
Valley is conveniently located to astronomy enthusiasts from Philadelphia
(52 miles), Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton (33 miles), Trenton (47 miles),
Wilmington (69 miles), New York City (88 miles), Harrisburg (116 miles),
and Baltimore (143 miles). Certainly one of the nicest aspects of Stella
Della Valley is the fact that you don't have to drive half a day to
get there.
Amenities
Stella Della Valley is
a little different than most star parties you might attend. Our admission
price includes indoor plumbing with hot showers at no additional charge.
There are also a number of pavilions, or pre-erected tents on wooden
floors with bunk beds available on a first come first served basis.
If the fall weather should turn cold, you can head indoors to warm
up by the camp fireplace. For those who do not enjoy camping, there
are dormitory style accommodations available for a very modest additional
fee. Campers and recreational vehicles are also welcome, but utility
hook-ups are not available.
Food and Beverage
We are pleased to welcome back "Mays Munchables" as our food service provider for SDV in 2008. Bobby May provides great food and service around the clock for hungry astronomers. In addition, we will continue with our very popular Pizza Buffet (pizza, soda and dessert) on Saturday evening following the doorprizes.
Speakers
On Saturday afternoon we will present several outstanding lecture programs. All presentations will occur in the Dellview Building or Dining Hall beginning at 1 PM. See the schedule of events section for more information about our featured speakers.
Door Prizes
A Stella Della Valley tradition, every registered attendee will be eligible to win door prizes from our sponsoring vendors. This year's prizes include telescopes, gift certificates and other astronomy gear. Separate drawings will be held for children's and adult's prizes. To go to our website for an updated list of prizes, use this link: www.bma2.org/Sdv_sponsors.html.
Registration & Information
A separate mail in registration form is available on our website at Sdv_reg.pdf. If you have questions about registration please contact Dwight
Dulsky SDV Chair at sdv@bma2.org or (267)
733-7253 or visit our website at www.bma2.org.
Special Activities
Children’s Activities - A children’s craft table and other activities will be available in the Dining Hall throughout the event for our youngest astronomers. (See event schedule below.) Astronomy 101 - New to astronomy? Meet Saturday afternoon at 3:40 PM in the dining for some valuable tips & observing techniques. A celestial sky tour highlighting what’s up tonight is included. Bring your questions and receive expert advice from the seasoned amateur astronomers of the Bucks-Mont Astronomical Association.
2008
Schedule of Events
Friday,
October 24th
3:00
PM
Entrance
Gates Open (Please do not arrive before this time)
5
– 10 PM
Registration
Desk Open – Pick up your Registration Packet
6:08
PM
Sunset
/ 6:36 PM End of Civil Twilight / (2:53 AM Moonrise)
8:00
PM
"Origins:
14 Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution” DVD – Dining Hall
7:15
– 8 PM
Children’s
Activity and Storytime in Dining Hall
Saturday,
October 25th
6:56
AM
Begin
Civil Twilight 7:24 AM Sunrise
8
AM to 4 PM
Registration
Desk Open in Dining Hall
9 – 10
AM
Children’s
Activities in the Dining Hall – Magic
School Bus “Space” DVD
7
AM to 12 PM
Pro-Am
Swap Meet
1 – 3:30
PM
Speaker's
Program
1
PM
Mr.
Rodger Gordon – “Mercury” – Dellview
Building
2 – 3:30
PM
Dr.
Ken Kremer, NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador and The Planetary
Society“Launching
DAWN to Asteroids; Landing Phoenix on Icy Martian Jackpot: Behind
the Scenes at KSC” 3-D Glasses
provided! – Dellview Building
3:40
PM
Astronomy
101 Workshop (Dining Hall) – A
special workshop conducted by BMAA
members on the basics of observing. This will
be geared for folks new to amateur astronomy. We will also point
out some of the best celestial highlights of the fall
night sky.
4:30
PM
Door
Prizes in the Dining Hall
5
PM
Pizza
Buffet Dinner (separate
cost)
6:07
PM
Sunset/6:35
PM End of Civil Twilight / (3:39AM Moonrise
Waning Crescent 11%)
7:30
PM
Children’s
Storytime “Aurora” by the Dining Hall Fireplace
Sunday
October 26th
6:57
AM
Begin
Civil Twilight 7:25 AM Sunrise
12
Noon (latest)
Checkout
and Departure
Getting
To Stella Della Valley
Caution: Bridge (Still) Out!
Returning guests are
encouraged to carefully read the new directions to the camp, due to a bridge
outage about ½ mile from the camp on Geigel Hill Road. The main detour
is about five miles long, but should be quite scenic due to the fall foliage.
One bridge along this detour may not be suitable for all campers and trailers.
Contact BMAA if you have any concerns about ground clearance.
From Philadelphia and Points South
Take I-95 North to US-1
North to the PA Turnpike West. - OR - the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76)
West to the PA Turnpike East. Exit the PA Turnpike at exit #343 (old
exit #27), Willow Grove, and merge onto PA-611 North. Proceed for about
24 miles, passing Doylestown, to the intersection of PA-113. Proceed
North on PA-611, watching for Durham Road about 2/10 mile on your right.
Turn right onto Durham Road, and proceed about 1 mile to Headquarters
Road. Follow directions from Headquarters Road.
From Allentown-Bethlehem, and Points
North
Take PA-309 South to
Quakertown. Turn right onto PA-313 East. Follow PA-313 to the intersection of
PA-563. Turn left onto PA-563 North. Proceed about 7.5 miles to the end of
PA-563 at the intersection of PA-412, and turn right onto PA-412. Proceed about
½ mile to the intersection of PA-611. Proceed straight onto PA-611 South
for 1.25 miles. Turn left onto Durham Road, which leaves the highway on
a shallow tangent. Proceed 1.7 miles on Durham Road, and turn left onto
Headquarters Road. Follow directions from Headquarters Road.
From New York City and Points East
Take I-78 East,
crossing the toll bridge from New Jersey into Pennsylvania. Exit immediately
after the tollbooth and follow the signs for PA-611 South. Follow PA-611
South for about 16 miles, and watch for the intersection of PA-412.
Continue on PA-611 South another mile, now watching for Durham Road
your left hand side. Turn left onto Durham Road, which leaves the highway
on a shallow tangent. Proceed 1.7 miles on Durham Road, and turn left
onto Headquarters Road. Follow directions from Headquarters Road.
From Harrisburg and Points West
Follow the PA Turnpike
eastbound to exit #343 (old exit #27), Willow Grove, and merge onto PA-611
North. Proceed for about 24 miles, passing Doylestown, to the intersection
of PA-113. Proceed North on PA-611, watching for Durham Road about
2/10 mile on your right. Turn right onto Durham Road, and proceed about
1 mile to Headquarters Road. Follow directions from Headquarters Road.
From Headquarters Road
Proceed on Headquarters
Road until you reach a one-lane bridge. This bridge may not be appropriate for
guests towing campers; contact BMAA for an alternate if you are concerned about
ground clearance. There are two options immediately after crossing this bridge.
Turning left onto Sheep Hole Road is the shortest route, but the road is
unpaved. Follow Sheep Hole Road 1 mile to a stop sign. Turn right onto Geigel
Hill Road, and watch for Camp Onas ½ mile on your right. Turning right
immediately after the bridge will keep you on paved roads. Proceed another two
miles on Headquarters Road, watching for Van Sant Airport and Cafferty Road on
your right. Proceed ¼ mile past the turn for Van Sant Airport, and turn
left onto Cafferty Road. Proceed 1.4 miles to a stop sign, and turn left
onto Geigel Hill Road. Watch for a sign for Camp Onas 1.8 miles on the
left.
