Story and photos by DAVE G. HOUSER
Block helps guests capture cosmic images with a digital (CCD) camera as part of a reservation-only program. The evening begins with a light meal (sandwiches, chips, cookies, and drinks). Next, either Block or an assistant offers a lesson on star watching with binoculars. You’ll be surprised how many stars and constellations, even passing satellites and meteors, you can see. This intro added to the excitement as our group of 20 or so skywatchers was led into the observatory for an opportunity to peer through the formidable 5,000 pound, 12-foot tall Schulman telescope. It is the largest telescope dedicated to public viewing in the Southwest and what we saw with it was mind-boggling. That’s not my impression alone—everyone in my group was dazzled. Star-struck you might say. Nearly all of them returned to the back of the line for another look. “The fact that you can see galaxies millions of light years away seems to engage people’s intellect and sense of cosmic place,” says Block. Not far away, 56 miles southwest of Tucson, is Kitt Peak NationalObservatory, home to theworld’s largest collection of optical telescopes (24), plus two radio telescopes, representing eight astronomical research institutions. The observatory offers guided tours daily—or you can pick up a self-guided walking tour map in the Visitor Center. You also can download a free audio tour, available in podcast GATEWAY TO THE GALAXIES Southern Arizona’s Astronomy Trail
Beautiful fall reflections. Photo by Dennis Stierer
art can be found on Main Street, near Pine, in the center of Lockport. Market Street Art Studios is a rambling space in the 100-year-old former Western Block Company factory now filled with working artists. Stroll the corridors and peek in and enjoy the work of photographers, puppet-makers, watercolorists, and more. The studios are conveniently located across the street from Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises. Admirers of Tiffany glass are in for a treat when visiting Lockport. The First Presbyterian Church of Lockport offers tours of their Tiffany-stained glass windows. There are five full double windows and a half of another all designed by the master of glass, and installed in 1901. Several other windows were added in the 1950s. The church obtained the rare Tiffany glass and Payne Spires studio, also known for their beautiful stained glass, created the windows as funding was obtained. Individuals or groups are always welcome. There’s even a bit of movie history in Lockport. The historic Palace Theatre was built in 1925. It was restored and reopened in 1975 for live events and selected movies. It is owned and operated by a non-profit organization, Historic Palace Inc. Perhaps even more exciting is the Transit Drive-In. If you have a fondness for these relics of decades gone by, the Transit Drive-In welcomes you with double features on four different screens. After a day touring Lockport, consider treating yourself to some of the most unusual, but exceedingly delicious ice cream flavors. The front part of Lake Effect Artisan ice creamhas the look of anold-fashioned ice creamparlorwith tiny white ceramic tiles interspersed with blue snowflakes. The flavors range from old favorites to combinations that you may have never considered: frozen hot chocolate, mint chip, whiskey brown sugar, and chicken and waffle ice cream.
Large mural illustrates the city’s history and the building of the Erie Canal.
early years. In addition to the Erie Canal Discovery Center, the Society operates the Outwater Memorial Building at 215 Niagara Street, which includes an 1863 brick home as well as an old law office and other outbuildings. The 1824 Bond House is another of the Society’s furnished historic homes. It’s located at 143 Ontario Street. Located just over a mile from the historic district, the 1859 Kenan House is an example of late 19th-century Italianate design. The ladies’ parlor was recreated based on a photo taken in 1913. The center also offers a gallery with rotating exhibits, special exhibits, and formal gardens. Art in Lockport The most striking art in the city is a beautifully intricate wall mural named Guardian of the Waters. When the city did a bit of sprucing up in 2012, knocking down a multi- story parking garage, it left a large blank wall in the center of town. Forty feet wide and 60 feet tall, and visible from the canal, the wall made a perfect canvas for a themed mural showing the history of the city and the engineering marvel that created it. Augustina Droze—an area muralist who has created these works of art all over the country—and artist Bruce Adams became the artists of Mural on Main Street. The centerpiece of the mural is the Flight of Five locks and the people of the city in the form of a workman, a foreman, and a lady with a parasol. This community-funded public
Cactus and sagebrush aren’t the only things sprouting up on the mountains around Tucson, Arizona. While this is a hot, arid, and generally inhospitable land, it is quite inviting to astronomers and astro-scientists from the world over. Attracted by super-dark nighttime skies, low humidity, and high elevations, they’ve built four major mountaintop observatories here, forming the largest concentration of research telescopes in the world. For visitors, these observatories offer a chance to experience something available nowhere else in America—a view of the stars and planets through a variety of telescopes—the biggest of their kind in the world. On a recent trip, I looked for everybody’s favorite planet, Saturn, through a huge 32-inch Schulman telescope during the popular SkyNights program at the University of Arizona’s UA Science SkyCenter atop 9,157-foot Mt. Lemmon, located about an hour northwest of Tucson. My guide to the ringed planet, and a host of other heavenly bodies scattered across the darkening sky, was Adam Block, SkyCenter program coordinator and noted astro- photographer. “Saturn is the hands-down winner among visitors to SkyCenter,” Block says. “The image of it is breathtaking— quite literally. You’ll actually hear people gasp.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION eriecanalway.org • canals.ny.gov • discoverlockport.com
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