Dark Sky Festival

I had never heard of the 5th Annual Dark Sky Festival at Harmony Florida. It is set for April 5, 2008 and will begin at 7PM in The Harmony Town Square. What an interesting gathering for all of you who love the night-sky free from the excessive artificial lighting. You will hear about intelligent lighting and lifestyle practices. The festival also encourages scientific interest in the youth of today. The goal is to preserve and protect the nighttime environment with quality outdoor lighting. They will show how lighting can be forced downward instead of up towards our night-sky. It has been found that not only does this light conflict with the beauty of our night-sky, but also disrupts the natural environment, wastes energy and may possibly cause health problems over time. There is a lot to take in at this Dark Sky Festival. There will be telescopes available for viewing the magnificent sky and all it has to offer. Also, a Cosmic Kids Zone with speakers talking about Myths in the Night, along with other speakers sharing information about light pollution. The entertainment will be awesome with a Motown recording artist group, Rare Earth. While enjoying music and the view, you will also find food and specialty booths . You can meet astronomers and other scientists. There will be so much to do and learn. It's a must. Mark it down on your calender today.

Press Release:

Get Ready! This Year’s Dark Sky Festival is Out-of-this-World

HARMONY, FL – March 15, 2008 – The 5th Annual Dark Sky Festival at Harmony will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2008. Sponsored by the Harmony Institute, the Kissimmee Convention and Visitors Bureau, several astronomy clubs, the Osceola News Gazette and Florida Travel & Life Magazine, the event will kick off at 7pm in Harmony's Town Square.

“The Dark Sky Festival is intended to celebrate and promote the benefits of a night-sky free from the effects of excessive artificial lighting,” said Greg Golgowski, Harmony’s Conservation Director and a key member of the Dark Sky Festival Planning Committee. “Poor outdoor lighting not only washes out the splendor of the heavens, but also reduces visibility at night, wastes energy, and disturbs wildlife.”

As with the past four Dark Sky Festivals, attendees will be able to enjoy viewing the night skies through a variety of telescopes. There also be lots of music and food, numerous specialty booths, an educational zone with presentations from astronomers and other scientists, nocturnal creatures, a Cosmic Kids Zone and so much more.”

Local favorite, the Silver Clouds Orchestra, will start the entertainment portion of the evening at 7:00pm. This will be followed by a free concert by legendary recording artists, Rare Earth.

Rare Earth will take to Harmony’s outdoor amphitheatre stage at 8:00pm for a live concert chock full of their greatest hits including “Get Ready” and “I Just Want to Celebrate.”

“We are ecstatic to have Rare Earth performing at this year’s Festival,” said Shad Tome, president of Harmony Development Group. “We are encouraging everyone to wear comfortable shoes because Rare Earth is known for getting the whole audience up and dancing.”

The festival will be emceed by Magic 107.7’s afternoon drive on-air personality and program director Ken Payne.

The Festival is open to the general public. Over 3,500 people are expected to attend the event this year. The event will conclude around 11:00pm.

This date was selected because it falls on the heels of National Dark Sky week (March 29 – April 4); where people in the United States are encouraged to turn out their unnecessary outdoor lights in order to temporarily reduce light pollution.

For more information, please visit www.DarkSkyFestival.com or call 407-891-8358.