November 6th Surprise Sci-Tech Festival
Surprise SciTech Festival – November 6th, 2021
95 attendees + our 3 volunteers = 20 volunteer hours (including drive time)
Set up at 8:00 am – finished at 1:30 pm
WVAC Volunteers Present: John Cline, Larry Matney and John Hiatt
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Event description: The City of Surprise celebrates STEAM efforts in the community by holding an
annual SciTech Festival. This free educational event featured interactive science, technology,
engineering, art and math exhibits and demonstrations. Technology and the daily interactions with it
continue to grow. Surprise embraces these new trends and the businesses that create new products
and services.
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Volunteer activity: set up the table provided by the City of Surprise with educational materials, cards
with the Club’s website and contact information, and a small Celestron Telescope. We told visitors
about the West Valley Astronomy Club, and asked them about their interest in astronomy. When
appropriate we told visitors about our monthly meetings and star parties. The small telescope was
used to demonstrate the surprising clarity and magnification (15x) provided by a small entry level
instrument. A small security camera on the parking garage a few hundred yards away was selected for
observation. Children (and adults) were encouraged to learn how to focus the telescope to see clearly.
