“The greatest show from Earth”, is Hernan Contreras’ description of star gazing. Contreras is a member of the Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society (JSCAS), an organization of amateur astronomers. Their fascination of viewing the night skies and its glorious sights has been shared with the public at star parties held each October and March at Fort McKavett State Historic Site in Menard county for the past 12 years.

The fort, owned by the Texas Historic Commission, is well worth spending the whole day. Admission fees are nominal and you can explore the fort, its visitors’ center and displays, learning how cavalry regiments and their families lived. It’s a photographer’s dream, so don’t forget your camera as you walk the fort’s beautiful grounds and gaze at the San Saba river valley vistas. For more information, see www.visitfortmckavett.com and the Friends of Fort McKavett State Historic Site at www.fortmckavett.org.

There is no admission fee for the fort’s evening star party, so mark your calendar now for the March event and prepare to be wowed by the experience!

I attended the October star party and as I looked around me, I was struck by the anomaly. Here we were, on the grounds of one of the most beautiful historical forts in Texas where restored buildings stand alongside awesome ruins. It can be an emotional experience remembering those who lived here, sacrificing the comforts of more “civilized” homes back East in order to maintain peace and freedom for pioneers as they settled the West.

A soldier, wife or child, who lived in a lonely world on a vast frontier, must have gazed, wondering, at the stars in the night sky. And here we stood on the same ground, gazing at the same stars, still wondering. We have seen men in space and on the moon, but there are many mysteries to be solved. Space may be the last great “frontier� ...

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