Ready to See the Milky Way? The 2022 Arkansas Dark Sky Festival

 

Frankly, I’ve never needed an excuse to visit the Buffalo River. My first experience on this classic Ozark stream occurred over 50 years ago, and I’ve been coming back every chance I can get since. The options are truly remarkable. Camping, hiking and floating, of course, are right at the top of my list, but it also includes watching wildlife, fishing, photography, swimming, skipping rocks and plain old relaxing.

 

Now there’s another good reason to make a pilgrimage to the country’s first national river: Arkansas’s Dark Sky Festival. It’ll take place Oct. 21-22 at the Tyler Bend recreation area, a fine complex operated by the National Park Service on the banks of the Buffalo north of Marshall.

 

But, you ask, what’s so special about a dark sky? Aren’t all skies dark at night? Well, yes, but not like they used to be – and that’s the problem. You may have read or seen news accounts about how light pollution is upsetting habitats and interfering with ecosystems. Yet Paul Bogard, in his enlightening book “The End of Night,” notes that the impacts go well beyond the disruption of migratory patterns of insects, birds and mammals. All kinds of human disorders and diseases, ranging from obesity to hypertension to cancer, have been linked to light pollution and sleep deprivation.

 

 

Recognizing this problem, a pair of astronomers formed the International Dark-Sky Association in 1988, with a mission “to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies” through properly shielded outdoor lighting. Since its founding, the association has certified over 130 dark sky reserves, parks and communities across the globe. In 2019, the Association designated the Buffalo National River as Arkansas’s first Dark Sky Park.

 

Organizing Arkansas’s Dark Sky Festival was a no-brainer for the Arkansas Natural Sky Association. “The festival is an opportunity to reintroduce people to nature at night, to learn about responsible lighting and to enjoy releasing the soul to wandering among the countless stars of a near-natural night sky,” says Bruce McMath, the group’s chairman. “It is also hoped that the increasing awareness of this vanishing natural heritage resource will bring economic value to the communities that have such skies and work to preserve them.”

 

dark sky

To be sure, Arkansas’s Dark Sky Festival will provide participants with a wonderful chance to view the heavens. Twenty or more powerful telescopes coming from four different states will be available for public use at no charge. But don’t wait until dark to show up, considering the full agenda the 21 partnering organizations have put together.

 

Start with a stop at the festival’s Welcome Center at the Silver Hill Float Service on U.S. Highway 65, about 10 miles or so north of Marshall, where you can pick up complete information on events and activities and purchase an assortment of dark-sky-related merchandise. It’ll be open Friday afternoon (Oct. 21) from 3 to 7 p.m., and then again on Saturday (Oct. 22) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m. Just beyond the Welcome Center is the park road (clearly marked) leading down to the Tyler Bend campground, visitor center and pavilion, where presentations will take place.

 

The Friday afternoon session will begin at 4 p.m., with talks from knowledgeable volunteers about sky-watching activities, sessions on mitigating light pollution effects on wildlife and even a chance to select the winners in a celestial photography contest. Brief welcoming remarks are scheduled for 5:45 p.m., followed by an on-your-own dinner break. At 7:30 p.m., there’ll be a Constellation Tour with the Telescopic Star Party beginning at 7:50 p.m. The Orionid meteor watch and celestial scavenger hunt begin at 10:00 p.m.

 

Saturday’s events begin at 1:00 p.m., with a variety of adult programs on such topics as the birth and death of stars, the 2024 solar eclipse, beginning nightscape photography and how to self-certify your home as night-sky-friendly. But the kids aren’t overlooked, with a children’s celestial drawing contest, giant bubble blowing, solar-cooked marshmallows and stomp rocket competition. Activities will pause at 6 p.m. for a dinner break. The Constellation Tour will kick off at 7:30 p.m. with the Telescopic Viewing Party beginning at 7:50 p.m. As on the previous evening, the meteor watch and scavenger hunt will start at 10 p.m.

 

Now for some important miscellaneous tips and observations: 1) Arkansas’s October night skies are typically the clearest of the year, but if cloud cover shows up, don’t despair. Plans are already in place for a unique and engaging alternative program should Mother Nature choose to be uncooperative; 2) Come dressed warmer than you might think, because the cooler temperatures once the sun sets will probably surprise you; 3) Pack something warm to drink and a snack or two, especially if you plan on staying up to catch the Orionid meteor shower. Likewise, consider bringing a lounge chair, blanket or bedroll to improve your comfort during the meteor shower; 4) Leave your standard flashlights or flash cameras at home (human eyes require 20 minutes to fully adapt to the dark), but if you prefer a light source, bring a red or amber light (available online or at the festival’s welcome center); and 5) Binoculars aren’t necessary, but might prove handy.

Dark Sky Festival

Folks arriving early might make a quick jaunt up the road to Gilbert. This friendly little Searcy County community – located just a couple of miles beyond the Tyler Bend Campground and nicely situated within walking distance from the Buffalo National River – has been one of my favorite destinations for years. Not only is it quaint, it’s small (population: 25) and getting smaller, now ranking #19,302 on the list of largest cities in the United States.

 

Well into its second century, Gilbert was founded in 1902 as a construction camp for the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad (M&NA, sometimes affectionately known as the “May Never Arrive”). Named after a gentleman involved in the railway’s construction, the town soon claimed a post office, cotton gin, two hotels, four stores, a gristmill, several wood mills, three doctors and a saloon. Gilbert fell into a gradual decline when the railroad went out of business in the mid-1940s, although the piers of the old M&NA bridge towering over the Buffalo can still be seen a mile or so downstream of the town.

 

Dark Sky Festival

Gilbert also served as the headquarters of a unique social experiment, the Incoming Kingdom Missionary Unit. This utopian cult, established in Gilbert in 1920, chiefly failed for two reasons: The fact that some members eagerly sought to enjoy the possessions of others but didn’t want to share their own caused serious dissention. Then, when founder Rev. John Adams Battenfield failed, after three public attempts, to resurrect a dead member of his congregation in early 1925 as he had promised, most of the remaining members dispersed.

 

Clearly, the town abounds in history. Step into the old Gilbert General Store (1 Frost St., circa 1901) and you’ll step back a century or so in time. But in a concession to concerns of the 21st century, Mayor Alvin “Chip” Johnson and his city council members are working hard to make Gilbert a dark-sky-friendly city. And Jamie Craddock, owner of the Buffalo River Art Gallery (74 Church St. in Gilbert), will offer a celestial art class at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22.

 

For complete details on this recent addition to Arkansas’s exciting festival scene, including lodging, dining and shopping options, check out darkskyarkansas.org/dark-sky-festival. If you’re looking for basic information on traveling in the Natural State, go to the arkansas.com website. If we’re lucky, maybe fall colors will be on our leaves this weekend! 

 

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