Saturday | August 24
Stargazing | Star Stories | Live Music
Bring your lawn chair
Free Will Admission
photo by Dave Leiker, Stargazing at Volland 2017
7:30 pm | Gather at the Volland Store. Beverages by donation
7:45 pm | Jerelyn Ramirez of The Kansas Astronomical Observers will tell us about the night sky
Sunset through twilight | Star Stories from the 2019 edition of Symphony in the Flint Hills Field Journal
“Star-gazing Cowboys”
a reading by its author, Jim Hoy
“on the trail from Texas to Kansas”
and
“Stars to Freedom”
a reading – and a performance of “Follow the Drinking Gourd” by Rob Manes
the long-hidden history of
a secret song that led slaves to freedom
Rob will continue to entertain us with song throughout twilight until the stars appear
After twilight ends | Stargazing with the big telescopes of The Kansas Astronomical Observers
The 2019 edition of Symphony in the Flint Hills Field Journal is a brilliant work about the Night Sky in the Flint Hills – past, present, and future.
Two stories in particular relate to the roles that stars played in the lives of those who traveled these hills before us. The Volland Store is pleased to present the stories at Stargazing 2019 in collaboration with Symphony in the Flint Hills. Copies of the 2019 Field Journal will be available for sale at The Volland Store. It is a worthy addition to your library.
“Star-gazing Cowboys”
Jim Hoy tells how cowboys used the stars on their cattle drives north from Texas.
“Stars to Freedom”
“The Drinking Gourd” is a song that secretly led escaping slaves to freedom. The meaning of the song remained hidden (except to slaves) for years.
When you stargaze at Volland on the summer night of August 24 you will see the same stars that looked over cattle trails in Kansas and the Underground Railroad that crossed Mount Mitchell those many years ago.
“The Volland Store is a Place for Art and Community where descendants of homesteaders and visitors from Anywhere, USA, gather to enjoy good art, interesting speakers, and friendly conversation that enrich and enliven our community both near and far.” If you would like to be part of our effort, please visit thevollandstore.com“– Patty Reece, Founder, The Volland Store
“Symphony in the Flint Hills works to heighten appreciation and knowledge of the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie—and the dark skies that make it possible for us to see the stars that shine light on our big dreams. We envision a future where our efforts inspire people to strengthen the Flint Hills by sustaining the region’s unique culture and landscape. You can learn more ways to join us at symphonyintheflinthills.org.” – Leslie Von Holten, Executive Director, Symphony in the Flint Hills
” You spent the night in the Loft. It’s awfully dark out here. How was that?”
“We took the lawn chairs and went out in the front yard and looked at the stars. It was wonderful!”
– at Volland
“Experience the darkness of the night sky and the brilliance of the stars.
It’s one of the best things about the Flint Hills.“
Suggestions for Lodging around Volland
Night Sky Photography Tips by Dave Leiker
photo by Dave Leiker, 2017
Our friend, Dave Leiker, is an exceptional photographer. Dave has generously presented Night Sky Photography “tips” to our previous Stargazing audiences, and his suggested equipment list for Night Sky Photography follows:
These are basic equipment recommendations for successful night sky photography. You may
get by with less, and still have a great time under the stars but there are good reasons for
everything mentioned below – Dave Leiker
A camera with these capabilities
● Manual control of basic settings (aperture, shutter speed and ISO). Learn how to set
these ahead of time so that it’ll be easier to do in the dark.
● Live view manual focus. For best (sharpest) results we will focus on one of the brightest
stars or planets.
● Decent quality at higher ISOs. The 1600 to 3200 range is usual for milky way studies.
Wide angle lens – ideally in the 14mm to 24mm range. We need to gather as much light as possible so “fast glass” is best. That means a lens with a large aperture, ideally F2.8, F4.0 or faster. The wider the field of view, the more night sky we can capture in our frame. The “faster” the lens, the more starlight it can capture.
Remote Shutter Release (cabled or wireless) – This allows you to release and close the shutter in the camera’s “bulb” setting with a minimum of camera shake. Low light levels require long exposures, usually in the 25 – 40 second range. Learn ahead of time how to use the “bulb”setting on your camera, if available, to give full control of your shutter speed. Some cameras may allow you to set such a long shutter speed directly in the camera.
Sturdy Tripod – Star photography requires very long exposures, impossible to hand-hold.
Light sticks – Colored chemical light sticks such as can be found in the party section at Walmart are very useful. Small sticks designed to be used as children’s’ bracelets are easily fastened to the tripod legs. These will help mark your camera and help you and others avoid tripping over your rig in the dark. Light sticks can also be used as a personal light source. Red is a good color for use during night photography. Flashlights with red filters are also very useful. It takes time for our eyes to adjust to the dark. Use of low intensity red light interferes the least with our adaptation.
Flashlight – For general walking around in the dark use of a red-filtered flashlight is recommended. Flashlights can also be used to “light paint” objects in the foreground.
Please note: There is no rain date, but the party will continue if it’s cloudy. In case of event cancellation due to rain or lightning, a notice will be posted on Facebook.
The Volland Store is located at 24098 Volland Road, eight miles southwest of Alma, Kansas, on Old K-10 Highway,
then ¼ mile south on Volland Road. thevollandstore.com
Internet directions are unreliable for this location. Click here for a map