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KAS Beginner's night - a resounding success!

  • dmcdona
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18 years 9 months ago #23153 by dmcdona
Folks - this is just a quick report to let you know how we got on last night.

We had advertised the KAS BEginner's Night night across Kildare and further afield with posters, press releases and through the internet. We had a couple of calls from folks expressing an interest - that put us at about 7 or 8 expected attendees.

We set up all the kit (scopes, laptops, books) in the room at Kilkea Castle (a really impressive venue and the staff couldn't have done any more to facilitate us) and hoped the weather would improve.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not in co-operative form so we were clouded out for the night.

We had our work cut out though - people filed in and sat down. Then more people filed in and sat down. We started - and yet more people came in and sat down! Overall, nearly 40 members of the general public turned up - some with scopes, some with just an interest. We had older people, families and couples. We struggled a bit to get enough chairs but managed to cram everyone in.

All the presentations went down a bomb - Shane Culleton did the moon with help from the audience, Dave Power uniquely found a way to describe the Universe using a toilet roll - which, like those at soccer matches, ended up strewn all over the room... Everyone was really into it. At the tea break half-way though, they browsed the books and asked us a myriad of questions. It was hard work getting them all to sit down for the second half.

Andre Meredith and Dave Walsh took us on a super tour through the planets, John Hoare had a good old go at the sun and Jim Finn did binocular astronomy a treat (sausage fingers...).

It was hard work trying to keep up with the clock - we ended up running over by 40 minutes. Still, it must have been good - folks stayed on afterwards to ask even more questions!

We rounded the evening off with a free quiz from John O'Neill - that went down a storm with the kids jostling to get the answers from books and KAS members.

We had so many people thanking us at the end - parents, children, couples, singles. It seemed to have been the right kind of mix to enthral everyone.

Hopefully, we'll get some of those folks join the society and keep their interest going. But even if we don't, it was a truly great night and worth all the effort nontheless.

For your own Society, you could do a lot worse than run a beginner's night!

Of course, KAS Event Organising Consultants are available for assistance :wink:

All the best

Dave McD

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18 years 9 months ago #23156 by finnjim2001
Replied by finnjim2001 on topic Re: KAS Beginner's night - a resounding success!

Of course, KAS Event Organising Consultants are available for assistance :wink:

Dave McD


At a cost Dave. Don;t forget that part :D

Somedays you're the dog,
Somedays you're the lamp post.

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18 years 9 months ago #23159 by dpower
I've stuck up a few photos of the even on the KAS website..
kildareastronomy.com/gallery/view_album....et_albumName=album01
As you can see we had a great turnout- standing room only!

Presentations will be available to download from here..
www.kildareastronomy.com/downloads.html

more on the way...

IFAS web team

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18 years 9 months ago #23201 by bertthebudgie
Replied by bertthebudgie on topic Re: KAS Beginner's night - a resounding success!
Hi

Glad to hear the event went well. Was unable to go as I was out of the country but looking forward already to your next event.

DB

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  • dmcdona
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18 years 9 months ago #23202 by dmcdona
Look forward to seeing you Dave.

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