kkleiner@dec-latour.UUCP (02/01/86)
Being on the active list I recently received this letter from the folks responsible for running Stellafane. I know that those of you who have attended the Stellafane conventions, those of you who have experienced some of the "magic" of those weekends, will need no prompting to contribute what you can to this fund. You know that you want the special event that Stellafane is to continue in the future for you to enjoy and share with others. For the people who not been to Stellafane, who have heard little or not at all of these gatherings, here is a brief description. Stellafane is a relatively small convention hosted by the Springfield Telescope Maker's club in Springfield, Vermont each year, usually in early August. Open to the public, it generally attracts folks with a with a strong interest in astronomy and telescopes from not only the Northeast but from all corners of the United States, Canada, and Europe as well. The primary focus of the weekend is a competition for amateur telescope makers; the instruments are judged both mechanically and optically (if weather permits). Other goings-on include talks, slide shows, swap tables, and a barbeque -- if you have any time left, there are plenty of opportunities to socialize and even sky-watch! Stellafane isn't the biggest, or the darkest; it doesn't have the best conditions or the most of anything. Stellafane is not superlatives, it's people. It's where one can and does come out from behind our usual roles to be ourselves and to be with others in the enjoyable pursuit of telescopes and astronomy. It's where the college professor and the bespectacled teenager, the engineer and the artist, the grandparent and the young child meet on the common ground of a shared interest as equals, and each comes away enriched. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stellafane c/o Dennis di Cicco 60 Victoria Road Sudbury, Massachusetts 01776 January 1986 Dear Friend of Stellafane: Permission to use the existing camping field for Stellafane conventions will not be extended beyond this year. As you know, this land does not belong to the Springfield Telescope Makers. We have been very fortunate to have had its use for the past 50 years, but the owner now has other plans for the field. For several years we have been aware of this situation. Many of you have urged the STM's to make plans to save our unique international convention, and many have made generous donations to help us get underway. We now have a definite goal, but there is cost and we need your immediate help as progress is happening rapidly. Since purchasing the camping field is impossible, we have negotiated the purchase of 30 acres of land just 100 yards further up the road from the current entrance to the camping field. This land has cleared sections for camping and observing with a good southern horizon. There is a small house with electricity and a well, and there is ample wooded area that can be cleared for additional camping and parking. The price of the land is $60,000. We currently have $12,000 in our land fund, $5,000 of which has been used for a down payment on the property. We need to raise an additional $48,000 by April 1st of this year. What cannot be raised by March 15th must be covered by loans from banks, the current land owner, or both. We Hope to avoid these loans, as their interest payments will only increase the amount of money we must raise. Please think for a moment what it will mean if we are not able to purchase the land. There is not enough space around our clubhouse to park even the convention's day visitors. Campers would have to travel many miles from the convention site for their accommodations and would not be guaranteed the dark observing conditions that exist on Breezy Hill. We would probably have to arrange parking in town with shuttle buses to the convention: neither a cheap nor desirable alternative. In short, without the land, the conventions as we know them would cease. For over 50 years the STM's have hosted the Stellafane conventions rewarded by the knowledge we are carrying on traditions begun by Russell W. Porter and other early members of the oldest club in the country devoted to telescope making. The convention registration and camping fees only cover our expenses and do not produce a profit. Now we are appealing to you and your local astronomy and telescope making clubs, and anyone else interested in seeing the Stellafane conventions continue. Please send your contribution, however large or small. All are needed if we are to reach our goal. Your donations are fully tax deductible. All checks should be made payable to the Springfield Telescope Makers and mailed to our land fund chairman. We thank you deeply for any help you can offer. The conventions are for you, and we need your help to make them continue. Sincerely yours, John Martin, President STM's Doug McGregor, Land Fund Chairman Mail contributions to: Doug McGregor Land Fund Chairman 4 Russell Avenue St. Johnsbury, Vermont 05819 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As I follow this newsgroup only indirectly and with delay, any inquires should be e-mailed directly to me. I post this as an individual; I do not attempt to speak for Digital Equipment Corp. in this matter. Keith Kleiner DTN: 297-6518 work phone: (617)467-6518 DEC Easynet: LATOUR::KKLEINER Internet: kkleiner%latour.dec@decwrl.DEC.COM Usenet: decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-latour!kkleiner