by Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative
The Town of Essex took advantage of what will likely be the tail-end of the nicer weather season on Saturday evening to host its annual Movie in the Park event.
From inside Heritage Garden Park, families gathered to enjoy cookie decorating, crafts, and youth activities, before settling down in front of the big screen at dusk with a free bag of popcorn to watch “The Muppets.”
This event also offered a teddy bear picnic, a chance to connect with local firefighters onsite who were happy to provide educational material on how to prevent fires, and a chance to look up at the night sky with members of the Windsor Centre chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
Mahayarrah-Starr Livingstone, a member of the local astronomy club, was pleased to connect with residents who wanted to learn more about what is located up in the sky, further than what can be seen by the eye.
Members had telescopes set up along the pathway in the park, allowing event attendees a chance to get a closer view of the night sky.
He noted with plenty of natural phenomena this year – like the solar eclipse, lunar eclipse, and northern lights – the Club has been getting a lot of interest from those who want to learn more about the hobby.
Members have the opportunity to sit in on informative monthly meetings, which take place at Ojibway Park Nature Centre at 7:30 pm on the third Tuesday of every month, except for December, July, and August.
It also operates the Hallam Observatory in Comber.
For those who would like to learn more, log onto www.rascwindsor.com