Thursday, May 21, 2026, Activity Center
     Vicky Derksen, Writer, Educator, and Dark Sky Advocate
                                            "Night Sky Tourist"

  Vicky is the past President of the Fountain Hills Dark Sky Association. The organization helped Fountain Hills become the world’s 17th International Dark Sky Community in 2018. She is also on the board of the International Dark Sky Discovery Center where they're helping to bring a 22,000 square foot night sky center to life. It will house an observatory, planetarium, hands-on immersion zone, and an inspiration theater.

What did ancient cultures in the Southwest know about the night sky that inspired them to build structures and carve petroglyphs to connect the stars to the desert landscape? Join Vicky Derksen as she takes you on a “road trip” from Nogales in the south to the Vermillion Cliffs in the north on Arizona’s original Highway 89. Explore Arizona’s certified dark sky locations, the star stories that informed daily life, and the stories left in the stones.