BCFNS NEWSLETTER

August 2023

Issue 41
Contact us at newsletter@BlancoCountyNightSky.org

118 supporting households including 16 Lifetime households
895 Facebook Group Followers -- 483 Instagram Followers
Click here for accomplishments in last year

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BCFNS SOLAR ECLIPSES T-SHIRT

We are excited to be able to offer you a very special T-shirt to commemorate the 2 upcoming solar eclipses. The design came from K. Johnson, a student at LBJ High School, who entered her artwork in our 2023 Night Sky Art Contest.

In case you were not aware; our area will experience a ”ring of fire” annular eclipse on October 14, 2023, and a TOTAL eclipse of the sun on April 8, 2024. We will provide more information on them later but for now please order your T-shirt! Here's the link:

Buy a T-shirt
T-shirt

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EDUCATIONAL MEDIA BLITZ A SUCCESS!

First, we want to thank all of the post office personnel serving Blanco County!!! We have 5 post offices delivering in the county:
Hye, Round Mountain, Johnson City, Blanco and Spring Branch.

We had 8,000 of the above 6" x 9" size postcards printed

We mailed over 7,400 postcards to every mail box in Blanco County using the Post Office Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) service

We delivered most postcards to the 5 Post Offices on July 11

Post Office Box postcards were delivered to 4 Post Offices on August 8

We hope you got yours!
Stacks of postcards

Our Educational Media Blitz continued the week of July 17 with a half page add placed in both the Blanco County News and the Johnson City Record Courier.

For 10 days, from July 23 through August 1, the Media Blitz turned to social media to continue to get the message to as many people as possible.

The final step in the Educational Media Blitz was finding out how effective it was; if you don’t ask, you don’t know. We conducted an online survey using SurveyMonkey.com. We sent an email to 508 people who receive our monthly newsletter asking them to complete the survey. The results were amazing!!!

Of the 508 asked, an astounding 20.8% of you (104) responded…..THANK YOU!!!

76% have addresses in Blanco County (386). 89% thought sending the postcards to everyone in Blanco County was a good idea.

Some of the feedback about the postcards:
   o  "Thumbs up"
   o  "Loved it. Both tactile and visual. Worth the expense in my opinion."
   o  "Very impressed with presentation and information"
   o  "It was well done. The message was clear. Nice job."
   o  "It caught our eye and we joined"
   o  "I have it hanging up on my calendar to remind me"

53% said they have kept the postcard

26% said they saw our ad in the newspapers and here are some of their comments:
   o  "I believe it was very effective in conveying the message about light pollution and how it can effect my neighbor"
   o  "Great content. Maybe need a bit more to stand out on the page"
   o  "The ad was large and attention-getting. This could be repeated several times a year at a much lower cost
        than mailing the postcards."
   o  "It was very informative."

79% thought putting the ads in the newspapers was a good idea

48% saw our posts in social media with 85% of those being in Facebook

72% felt the Educational Media Blitz “May Make A Difference” or “Is Making A Difference”

Here are some of the final comments from those that responded:

"Great job seeking creative ways to get your message out!"
"Last one to leave turn the lights out."
"I applaud the energy and effort the organization is applying to reach the goals of the Dark Sky Movement. I recently told a friend about the goals of the BCFNS and his reply was a skeptical, "Good luck with that". He was right, it won't be easy, but through an effective grass roots of education, change can be made. If you can get one person to turn off one unnecessary light at a time, change can be realized."
"I’m sure you are, but keep pushing in schools as well. Many older folks are stuck in their ways, but children hold the key to our future."
"I value your efforts!"
"Thanks for your dedication"

______________________________________________________________ SONG CONTEST ENTRY
Alas, the hot weather appears to have dried up all the musical creativity hereabouts! We have received exactly zero entries for our 2023 Night Sky Song Contest. The window is still open to enter. September 15th is the deadline and the Contest proper is still scheduled for the Gem of the Hills in Blanco, for 6pm, October 4. We’ll be making a decision after Sep 15th on whether to proceed or punt this year. The evening is always a fun time and we hope we can still pull it off this year! We’ll see.

For more information click here: 2023 Song Contest

______________________________________________________________ TWIN SISTERS DANCE HALL
“RAISE THE ROOF” EVENT
We invite you to stop by for a visit at our information table at the Twin Sisters Dance Hall “Raise the Roof” event on Saturday, September 23rd. We’ll have lots of information to share and some free flat bottomed light bulbs, night sky friendly, of course!

We are still looking for a couple of volunteers to help us at the table. If you would like to give us a hand, we would sure appreciate it. Don’t worry…we won’t leave you all alone. There will be an experienced volunteer to show you the ropes. This would be a one-time volunteer gig. Email us at info@BlancoCountyNightSky.org if you can help.

Remember…this event is held each year to help raise money for the preservation of this historical dance hall. Come on out and show your support for our community. There will be music, vendors, silent auction items and usually, a dance on Saturday evening.

A “THANK YOU” FROM TWIN SISTERS DANCE HALL “RAISE THE ROOF”

We want our members to know that an anonymous donation was made to the Twin Sisters Dance Hall “Raise the Roof” fundraiser in our name. The donation was in the form of a “Texas Two Step” level sponsorship. We received the following message on the Twin Sisters Facebook page which we shared on our Facebook page:

“Twin Sisters would like to give a shout out to Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky for their generous Texas Two Step sponsorship for the 2023 Raise the Roof Cookoff & Fundraiser! We appreciate you.”

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PROBLEMATIC OUTDOOR LIGHTING IN BLANCO

BCFNS has received two replies from the letters that were mailed to the 19 most egregious sources of light pollution within the Blanco city limits. These two have asked for advice to correct their lighting which we are gladly providing. The others have been thunderously silent. A resident of Blanco is considering filing a formal complaint with the city. There is a lighting ordinance in place and the city has the authority to request compliance. We’ll keep you informed on the progress, but it may take a while.

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Next Business & Brainstorming Session

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, September 20th @ 9:00AM, at El Charro Restaurant in Johnson City. If you would like to attend via Zoom, just let us know a few days ahead of time so we can make arrangements. Contact us at info@BlancoCountyNightSky.org

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Consider becoming a Member

Membership Sign Promotion - A membership sign is the best publicity the night sky can have. For those of you thinking of joining BCFNS or renewing your membership, we are offering a free one-year membership ($20) with the purchase of a sign ($35 tax included) and a FREE CD from our very first Song Contest. Here’s the link: Membership Signs

For more information on all our membership options click here: Membership Options

Remember we are an IRS 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Please consult your accountant or tax adviser for details regarding deductibility for your donation

BCFNS NEWSLETTER

August 2023

PROBLEMATIC OUTDOOR LIGHTING IN BLANCO

Next Business & Brainstorming Session