The meeting began at 7:05 PM with opening announcements by President Mike
Lockwood.

The new Astronomy clandars are now in and can be purchased for $10 (members) or
$12 (non-members).

We have a number of upcoming events, the first of which is this coming weekend
at Allerton in the meadow.  At 7:00 PM we will have a telescope show and tell
while its still light enough. At 7:30, Dave Leake will give a presentation about
what's visible in the sky and also present some material to the audience
intended to raise public awareness and education in astronomy.  Observing will
begin at 8:00 and go unitl 10 or 11 PM.

There are also a number of star parties coming up soon including Prairie Skies
and Illinois Dark Skies.  Contact Mike Lockwood for details if you are
interested in attending one of these events.

We have a 6" and a 10" scope both with optics being sent out for recoating.  The
6" is an F/8 Criterion we plan to sell for $350.  The 10" is  a F/7 scope that
will need a new focuser.

A warning to all going to the dome side to avoid the "green candy" at the dome.
This substance is rodent poison.

We have caught up on the mow list and the site now looks great.

Next months meeting is intended to answer questions about what kind of telescope
to buy.  This will be useful for anyone thinking of getting a scope for the
Holidays.  If you know someone who might be interested, invite them to attend.
It should be a very educational meeting and could result in someone getting a
great first observing experience that will encourage future interest in
astronomy.

Mike Matthews brought in a new autoguider/imager that was donated to the club.
It was purchased for $5 at a garage sale.  It hasn't yet been tested, but John
Stone will probably be able to provide a summary once Mike Lockwood gives him
the model and specs.

The presentation of the evening was given by Dave Leake where he showed a kit
sent to us by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.  The kit is intended to
spread astronomy education and includes materials of demonstrating the scale of
the cosmos and on galaxies.  The material may be used at this weekend's Allerton
presentation.  If we use the kit and log how many were used, we may get
additional materials.

The meeting ended a bit early at around 8:00 PM.