My first Yuri's Night was also
Huntsville's first in 2008. Some of my friends associated with the
local National Space Society chapter HAL5 organized the event at a
local bar and restaurant. Being Rocket City, USA, there was a fair
amount of interest in the space party. I've been told that the
Huntsville events have been getting bigger ever since.
Yuri's Night parties on the Space Coast
of Florida have gone through several iterations, each year very
different from previous: a giant space celebration in the Astronaut
Hall of Fame, two multi-stop pub crawls, a casual art gallery
gathering, a packet party at Nolan's Irish Pub, a small picnic, and
finally, last night's party at a wine bar in Cape Canaveral.
It's my annual trend and I didn't
disappoint: the first thing I did upon entering the bar was stick a
Yuri temporary tattoo on my forehead. I also pressed a sticker on my
chest but it fell off rather quickly. This year was my husband's
first Yuri's Night. He's a bit of a Russia / Cold War history buff so
he could appreciate it. He gave me a Yuri Garagin USSR coin from 1991
when we first started dating.
There was plenty to do last night with hors d'oeuvre snacking, wine tasting, space photography, a live band, giant Jenga, a bean bag toss, bubbles, dogs, and an astronaut video recorded on the International Space Station. I mostly chatted with my fellow space geeks, including former Huntsvillian Bart who is pictured next to me in the 2008 photo above. At one point, Yuri's Night leader Ryan recruited me to take a quick video of speeches. Fun was had by all.
Yuri was Russian, but more than that,
Yuri was human. Humanity's first step to the stars should be
celebrated by all. Someday, I dearly hope that Yuri's Night is a
natural holiday and globally celebrated. Until then, we'll just keep
partying on year after year in our own way!
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