Ron's Grand Opening

Posted by: Ron Walker Jun 15 2014, 11:53 AM
And more...

Posted by: mrgare5050 Jun 15 2014, 12:29 PM
butts in chairs! they all look happy to me - I love the boots on those two girls with the doll .. congratulations on the fantastic response, i havent had 82 people out here in all the time ive been sticking lights in cakeboxes - YOU THE PLANETARIUM MAN! hopefully word of mouth will spread like wildfire!

and side two...



There are more coins (and more can be struck) then were given out so I thought it would be interesting to see if any of the first day visitors would be interested in being supportive benefactors of the planetarium. So I thought that a cash donation of $100 would earn a coin which would give life long admission to the planetarium. Who would want that, right...well three people bought one this first day...WOW again!

And I'm actually getting good at giving shows!

Posted by: Ron Walker Jun 16 2014, 09:27 AM
QUOTE(mrgare5050 @ Jun 16 2014, 02:50 AM) *
how the H do you make a coin?

From the original artwork, front and back stampers are engraved from steel. Then a slug of the chosen metal is placed into the press and with several tons of pressure the coin is struck. These are struck as proof coins (the dies are cleaned after each coin is struck) so the raised areas have a frosty sheen to them and the background is virtually mirror like smooth. The coins are solid copper (to represent a blood red Moon) and are about 40mm in diameter, the same size as an original dollar coin. They are rather stunning to say the least. The background of the coins in these pictures appears a darker color because of the slight angle of the camera and thus the light was reflected away. All of the printing and imagery are raised from the background. What looks like slight imperfections on the coin is actually just some fine dust and/or lint particles that have settled on the surface. With the light from the flash they show up big time. A blast of air or a polish with a soft cloth would easily remove them.

Posted by: Ron Walker Jun 17 2014, 05:49 PM
QUOTE(moonmagic @ Jun 17 2014, 04:08 PM) *
It is ALL FANTASTICAL!

I must admit that is was that!

It had been a few days since I had signed in, so there was a lot to take in. LOVED the pictures of the audience(s). Everyone looked happy and interested. The chairs look perfect; I even noticed what appeared to be a very comfortable couch. I saw people with beverages in hand.

Yes, there are two very comfortable couches for VIP type people but to see the sky best the other chairs win. Some people enjoyed the beverage!

Curious to know, the day you did the shows, how hot was it outside AND with your AC on how was the temperature inside with a room full of people? Did you have any problem projecting your voice over the AC sound?

The outside temp peaked out that day at something like 104. I ran both air-conditioners and they were amazing as they held the temp at a very comfortable 76 or was it 78, I'm not sure, but it held easily as both units were cycling on and off as it held the temperature. It would probably have held with only one unit but why not test with both. One unit will drop the room ten degrees in an hour and a half so they work extremely well. I've had a few people watch shows before and some have had trouble hearing me so I added another mono sound system with a speaker right next to the projector facing directly up into the dome and thus not requiring any balance with the music. With that added there was no problem hearing me stumble about my show. I have set up the sound system so I can do 5.1 or set up three separate sound systems, two stereo, one mono for wind and coyote howls, as well as one mono for voice reinforcement.

THEN THERE IS THE COIN. HOW REMARKABLE! What a cool and thoughtful idea. And you got some nice donations too.

What is strange is that I never asked for anything. These people came up to me after the shows and asked. The $100 for a coin was off the top of my head and it gives a lifetime membership.

I certainly don't think there is anything wrong with asking for support. People can instantly see that this is a major undertaking for any private person and people realise that everything in life has associated costs. Didn't you initially consider a permanent "donation" jar or pedestal near the door? There is NOTHING wrong with that at all, IMHO. It also makes people feel they are a part of something special as well.

Another potential fund raising thing for the "someday" consideration would be T-shirts. Everybody likes them and you seem to have a group of talented people who could design one specific for your installation. Charge something that produces a profit on each shirt.

"I was STAR STRUCK at the Walker Desert Sky Planetarium."

People WILL buy them. Another easy to do thing is your own star charts for the seasons. Easy and cheap to produce and could use both side of a page and cover six months worth of sky gazing on one sheet.

That is an idea I've thought about and it would be a very inexpensive hand out. If there are left overs they could be saved for the next year so I'm thinking more like a different one for each month to hopefully generate interest in a return visit each month.

Yep, one thing leads to another, and one thing calls for another. As long as its meets with your objectives and remains reasonably affordable there really does not have to be any imposed limit(s).

All good ideas to consider.

In a Science Center environment, the management once tried to do away with their "gift shop."
Both parents and kids told them fairly quickly they had made an error. They EXPECTED it and were dissappointed when there wasn't one. I've always thought that any gift shop should stock a few VERY INEXPENSIVE items so that no one (regardless of their economic situation) leaves feeling like they couldn't afford some type of souvenier of their trip.

I am thinking about offering simple things like a "star wheel" or whatever you call them as a sales object and perhaps a few other things.

Of course, I realise you are not trying to run a business, and none of this may be of any interest to you. In fact, I would be the first to say that if I ever do have such a place to show off, I personally dont think I will deal with donations or sales in any way. After all, through many many years I have perfected the perfect "non-profit" business plan. I never make any profit! Simple, you see. mm

There is no profit with donations but with outside guest speakers that would require some kind of honorarium a good possibility, it would be nice to soften the blow.

Posted by: moonmagic Jun 24 2014, 12:26 PM
You built it, and they keep coming. PERFECT! mm