Saturday, 8 June 2019, a Live Music and Star Party event was held at Oracle State Park, our local IDA International Dark Sky Park. The Carnivaleros Trio provided a giant melting pot of sonic chorizo gumbo that combines moody Eastern European motifs and strains of western movie themes along with quirky stories of the American experience, laced with rhythms of Zydeco, Tex-Mex, and swing. The trio featured Gary Mackender on accordion and vocal, along with Karl Hoffman on bass, and Billy Yates on guitar. Deb Gaines, President of the Friends of Oracle State Park, introduced the band and the night's activities:

Here are Jane, Anne, Deb, and Bill at the Friends of Oracle State Park a table. The Friends was selling memberships and astronomer's flashlights and taking donations:

Park visitors enjoyed the band's music, along with the views and cooler temperatures from the Kannally Ranch House upper patio:

A crescent Moon was high in the sky over Oracle State Park before sunset:

A Harris's Hawk was watching over the proceedings:

After sunset a nice display of "sun dogs" appeared:

And the music played on with some Park visitors dancing:

Members of the Saddlebrooke SkyGazers Club began setting up their telescopes for viewing and interpretation of night sky objects. That's Park Manager Vince Micallef standing in the first photo.

As the sky became darker Park visitors began to enjoy the night sky even with some thin clouds hampering the views at times.

The International Space Station (ISS) made a nice pass over Oracle State Park, which thrilled the visitors.

Under the moonlit sky visitors enjoyed viewing the planet Jupiter (the bright object at the center of the top photo below), the Moon, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, Albireo (a colorful double star), the Ring Nebula, and more.

The last of the Park visitors left about 10 PM after another great evening of music and stargazing at Oracle State Park. Thanks to the Friends of Oracle State Park for the music sponsorship and the Saddlebrooke SkyGazers Club for the telescopes. Photos by Mike Weasner.

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