• Town of Maple Creek (also surronding area accommodation can be found here) http://maplecreek.ca
• Fort Walsh National Historic Site and Farwell's Trading Post http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/sk/walsh/index.aspx
• Scottie in the T-Rex Museum (Eastend, SK) https://www.royalsaskmuseum.ca/trex
• Great Sand Dunes (1.5-hour drive north of Maple Creek) http://www.greatsandhillsmuseum.com/
• Grasslands National Park Dark Sky Preserve (Val Marie, SK) http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/sk/grasslands/index.aspx
• Old Man on His Back Nocturnal Preserve http://www.visitcypresshills.ca/attractions/old-man-on-his-back-ranch/

• Credit card payments via Square. Square billing will be in Can$ and conversion to foreign currency should be automatically handled by your method of payment
• International money order or bank draft. Please pay in Can$. Request your bank to convert the Can$ total to the US$ amount payable and have them state “Can$” on the draft
• Pre-register on-line or by mail and tell us you will pay cash at the star party

The SSSP will honour international currency conversion rates before and at the Star Party.

BANKING MACHINES: Cypress Hills Park contains Interac banking machines that issue Can$. Banking machines can be found at the Resort, Visitor’s Centre and at a few other locations around the park.

PASSPORTS & CUSTOMS: U.S.A. and foreign residents require passports to enter Canada. Plan your border crossing times. Since the location of the star party is in a low population density area of Saskatchewan, not all customs border crossings have 24-hour service, and some crossings have limited service hours. A list of crossings from Montana and North Dakota and their hours of operation can be found here:
https://www.ezbordercrossing.com/list-of-border-crossings/montana/
https://www.ezbordercrossing.com/list-of-border-crossings/north-dakota/

To participate, you are asked to follow the standard registration procedure - i.e. vendors must register as normal participants at the normal costs for the star party. You may in turn sell and conduct normal business within the Meadows observing field, but due to Park restrictions cannot solicit elsewhere in the park. The SSSP is not responsible for any vendors' business costs (transportation, accommodation, living, etc.) Vendors are responsible for their own arrangements, park entry and must pay standard camping fees (to the Park) and campsite power if needed, if staying in the Meadows. The SSSP is not responsible for any merchandise loss or damage. As registered SSSP star party goers, vendors are welcome to participate in all activities that they have registered for.

If you would like to donate a door prize, this will be graciously accepted & will be accordingly acknowledged, though a door prize donation is not required and is at the discretion of the vendor. On request, vendors can receive a free 1/4-page ad in the star party handout literature or for $25 can purchase a full-page ad. Ads in the SSSP handout are gray-scale photocopied and are not in colour. Formatted ads for inclusion in the printed brochure must be received no later than 15 days prior to the star party. Alternately, the SSSP will pre-package vendor-supplied product brochures in our registration folders for free if they are received no later than 15 days before the start of the star party. Approximately 200 registration packages are handed out. (Send to Rick Huziak, 127 Maple Street, Saskatoon, SK, S7J 0A2.)

In a further attempt to foster on-going good will, star party vendors will be entitled to one ad of one page or less in the Saskatoon Skies monthly newsletter, over the coming year. These ads are at no additional cost. Our current newsletter circulation is approximately 80 copies, but these are highly targeted readers & the newsletters are also on-line. All ads are subject to approval by the Saskatoon Centre Executive before inclusion in the newsletter. We will do our best to publish the ad in the month desired.

Check back often for new developments.

FLASHLIGHTS: White light flashlights are NOT allowed! Use only red filtered flashlights, point them at the ground and keep them as dim as possible.

VEHICLES: Please make sure to have your car parked in its final resting position well before darkness sets in. If you do not intend to remain in the Meadows Observing Field all night long, park and set up near to the entrance so you can leave without blinding everybody! The most common offending light issues with vehicles are interior dome lights and uncovered backup lights coming on unexpectedly and blue flashing security lights on the dash. Please cover these.

MOVING VEHICLES AT NIGHT: If you have to move after darkness, cars are to use their park-lights only, or be lead with their lights off by someone with a red flashlight. (This is not advised for safety reasons and to be used only in an emergency). Gate security people will have a limited supply of red flags to cover car lights. Cover the following lights: interior, back-up, license plate, trunk and headlights. Gate security people will tape red flags your vehicle lights at the gate as you arrive.

RV WINDOWS, DOORS, STRING-LIGHTS AND PORCH LIGHTS: These are all of great concern. Curtains alone are rarely thick enough to stop light from being emitted out of the trailer. It is sometimes necessary to tape black bags or extra coverings over windows. Please cover all windows on RVs as not to accidentally have a family member flash the crowd with white light.

REGISTATION TENT, VENDOR TENTS & SERVICE CENTRE: These areas are red-lit as gathering or service places.

LASERS: Red and green lasers are permitted. Do not point them horizontally at people or trailers! Do not point them at aircraft or you will be in violation of Transport Canada safety rules and can be arrested, and you will jeopardize the SSSP. Lasers will show on astrophotos if they are held in the same place for many seconds, so please use them sparingly. Lasers will be used extensively during the scheduled starwalks from 10:00pm to 11:00pm on Friday and Saturday nights.

A full set of Light Etiquette suggestions will be in the registration brochure in your registration package.

Current fees are:

• $10/day
• $40/week
• $75 transferable annual pass
• Free for Saskatchewan seniors (65+ years with ID)

For more information on Saskatchewan Parks, visit the Tourism Saskatchewan web site at HERE. For more information on others fees, see:
https://www.tourismsaskatchewan.com/places-to-go/provincial-parks/camping/fees#Vehicle%20Park%20Entry%20Permit%20Fees

Pin prices are as follows:

• Pins cost: $8
• Previous years’ pins: $2

We also have SSSP Embroidered Patches available for $8.

The SSSP will offer complete refunds* for registration costs and prepaid activities, without a handling fee, to participants who wish to withdraw from the SSSP prior to the start of the star party and for no-show participants except as follows:

• SSSP cannot refund the prepaid banquet costs within 48-hours of the banquet (ie. after 5:00 p.m. on the preceding Thursday) since the SSSP locks in their banquet costs to the Resort at that time. If shirts are pre-ordered, the SSSP may not be able to cancel shirt orders within 3 weeks of the star party. If possible, refunds for shirts will be made, but if cancellation is not possible, shirts will be mailed out at the withdrawing participant's cost after the star party. No shows are defined as those who have not registered by the end of registration period on the Saturday afternoon of the star party.
• However, banquet tickets are always in demand right up to the starting minute of the banquet! There is almost always a waiting list since banquet seating space is limited. If you have not made previous arrangements and find that at the last minute you cannot come to the star party or cannot attend the banquet, please telephone us at 306-280-1899 (star party cell) and let us know if you will release your banquet tickets for resale. If we can resell your banquet tickets, even within the 48-hour no-refund window, we will refund the entire cost to you. Someone at the star party will be delighted that you thought of them! Otherwise, your tickets will be held for you assuming you will show up at the last minute and are thus not otherwise refundable.

* For refunds of $25 and less, SSSP will issue you a credit for a future SSSP and will inform you of this before the next year's registration. However, we will be glad to refund the $25 or less by cheque if you request this.

The crest will be approximately as shown and will be on a light blue shirt:

Shirt prices are as follows:

• T-shirts: $25 available in adult sizes S to XXXL and youth sizes S to L
• Golf-shirts: $45 available in adult sizes S to XXXL
• Hoodies: $50 available in adult sizes S to XXXL and youth sizes S to L

Shirts have to be pre-ordered during the Early Registration period for them to be available to you at the star party. The on-site order prices will remain the same as pre-orders except that $10 extra will be charged for shipping where applicable.

In 2013, SaskPower changed the last 90 old style drop-lens cobra-head streetlights in the Park to IP-addressable flat-lens full cut-off lights that can be dimmed and turned off by the Park using an RF link. These lights can be dimmed or shut off on command. Almost all streetlights within the park are now compliant to the Dark-sky Agreement.

If observing time is desired beyond star party dates, any area within the park can be used for that activity, though you cannot camp overnight in non-designated campgrounds. You can, however, take advantage of camping and no lights in the Dark-Sky campground immediately northwest of Meadows. The campground contains 16 non-powered, unlit campsites. Since the Cypress Observatory is the home of a new observatory and Yurt classroom, some activity using red light may occur during interpretive programs, but otherwise, the site is very dark. Eight outside power plugs and concrete pads for visitor telescopes are available for use and are located on the south side of the Observatory.

Benefits of the Cypress Hills Dark-Sky Agreement:

• the creation of Canada's largest Dark-sky Preserve when signed in 2004
• the construction of the Dark-sky Campground
• the construction of the Cypress Observatory & Yurt classroom
• astronomy interpretive program with telescopes - the highest-attended program in the Park
• addition of a permanent astronomer-interpreter at the park
• inspiration for Beaver Hills DSP, Grasslands DSP and Old Man on his Back Nocturnal Preserve
• inter-park equestrian campgrounds with Grasslands National Park DSP
• cross-training of interpreters between Cypress Hills and Grasslands DSPs
• the first RASC General Assembly ever held in a Dark-sky Preserve (2009)
• awareness of light pollution issues in Saskatchewan
• a DSP display in the Park Interpretive Centre
• Cypress Hills & Grasslands DSPs as Southwest Saskatchewan Tourism favoured destinations in 2011 and 2014
• Cypress DSP featured on Saskatchewan Televsion Network's "15 Minutes of Fame"
• Cypress DSP featured to foreign television viewers during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Vignettes as a Canada Destination Place
• 400 astronomers use the Park respectfully every August and produce additional Park revenue
• first park to prototype purpose design orange LED FCO trail lighting in 2018

23rd Annual Saskatchewan Summer Star Party: August 28 - September 2, 2019

24th Annual Saskatchewan Summer Star Party: August 19 - August 24, 2020

25th Annual Saskatchewan Summer Star Party: August 4 - August 9, 2021

48th Annual Saskatchewan Summer Star Party: August 17 - 22 or August 22 - 28, 2044
August 22 - Total Eclipse of the Sun - SSSP'44 is on the Centre Line!

A total eclipse of the sun will occur over the Saskatchewan Summer Star Party on Monday August 22, 2044 just after 7:15 pm. (1:15 Aug. 23 UT). Note that the eclipse also occurs over Edmonton, Calgary, Medicine Hat, and Maple Creek. This will likely affect our Albertan attendance figures, but not for the rest of you coming from elsewhere!

We have not decided yet if the star party will be August 17 - 22 or August 22 – 28; either date is likely okay! Make your plans early!

• Latitude: 49° 39' 14.65" (+49.6541)
• Longitude: 109° 31' 20.02" W (-109.5222)
• Height above sea level: 1390 metres (4560 feet), this is 600 metres higher than Maple Creek
• Time Zone: Central Standard (CST) minus 6 hours from UT