Science night

by Helen Parnell (Canada)

Making a local connection USA

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It does not take much to give back when travelling especially when it is fun! Whilst travelling the US in our motor home with my husband we chose to stay with a boon-docking host couple in Willcox Arizona. Willcox is off Highway 10 in the middle of the desert. It is a small town of just 3000. Apparently 50% live below the poverty line. They have one grocery store, one bar, one coffee shop and not a lot of anything else. It certainly not on the tourist route and some could say it wreaked of poverty. The shops all looked run down. The couple we stayed with informed us about a fundraising event for the local high school that was showing the film Apollo 11 unseen footage and for $20 we would get supper included. We had nothing else planned, why not go? We were told it started at the cinema at 6.30pm. At 6.20pm we arrived and spoke to the one member of staff who knew nothing about it. There were no signs, no posters, nothing. After a few minutes the owner of the cinema turned up and confirmed us that yes there was a movie being shown for charity and it was $20. He asked us to pay him $40 cash and come back in thirty minutes. We did not get a ticket or receipt. Like fools we asked “will you remember that we have already paid?” He goes “sure I will”. We thought we had been taken for a total ride! Ahh what’s $40 if we have been scammed? Thirty minutes later we were keen to get back to the cinema and ascertain if we had lost $40 or not. We were taken to a small room and there to one side was homemade Spaghetti Bolognese in the slow cooker, salad and cookies. We sat at the front of the room laid out like a classroom. This was a very low key fundraising event being organized by only a few local people. It seemed like, as in any small town, everyone knew everyone and everyone was thinking 'who are these people’? Most people, like us were casually dressed but I did notice an elderly man in a smart suit and a lady with him wearing chic clothing. They stood out for being so well dressed. After supper a gentleman stood up and though he did not introduce himself: probably because everyone else would know him, he did introduce Dr Alan Binder. Dr Binder was the smartly dressed gentleman; he is a Lunar and Planetary Scientist, a Spacecraft Systems and Design Engineer and a Mission Director. He introduced the film Apollo 11 and even told us about Buzz Aldrin switching off a button that then caused the alarm system to go off just as they were about to land. The amazing thing about the film was watching it very close on a large screen in a small room; we all knew the ending but it was actually very exciting, I was on edge ‘hoping that the eagle did land!’. After the film ended the first young man stood up again and this time told us that he was the science teacher for the local high school and that he was fundraising to take some students to Florida on a space program. Dr Binder then explained some more events about the Apollo 11 mission included how Buzz had to make a quick repair to a switch by using his pen and consequently saved the day. We were both in awe, as we both asked questions to this scientist who was involved with the space program. As the event was being wrapped up, I noticed that there were only about 15 other people there. Different people came up to us basically asking us "who are you”? I must admit we must have stood out like a yellow beacon. A British couple who now live in Canada at a simple fundraising event, set in a town in the middle of nowhere in the middle of America. For us not only did we have a wonderful night but we felt we were able to give back to this small town.