May 25, 2018 Sandra Snell-Dobert , 970-641-2337, ext. 227 Nick Myers , 970-249-1914, ext. 441

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, in partnership with the Black Canyon Astronomical Society and Crawford State Park, will be celebrating the starlit skies of Western Colorado with their 9th annual Astronomy Festival June 13 – 16, 2018. Black Canyon was designated as an International Dark Sky Park in 2015, one of a growing number of National Park Service sites that are recognized for exceptional dark skies.



There will be daytime as well as evening programs, with solar and night sky viewing. The festival kicks off on Wednesday, June 13 with Orion Book Award winning author Craig Childs at the Montrose Pavilion at 8:00 pm. The evening will be capped by night sky viewing at the Montrose Botanic Gardens (next to the Pavilion).



Also new this year will be solar viewing at the Creamery Arts Center in Hotchkiss at 1:00 pm on Saturday, June16, followed that evening with night sky viewing at Crawford State Park at 7:30 pm. The state park is waiving fees for the evening.



For a full schedule, see Black Canyon’s website at http://www.nps.gov/blca/planyourvisit/calendar.htm.



All programs are free, including the keynote speaker at the Pavilion. The park entrance fee, good for 7 days, is $20. Parking is available at the South Rim Visitor Center for day programs and the South Rim Campground for evening programs and night sky viewing. Parking is limited – please carpool.

