2024 Solstice Lantern Walk Highlights

Our sixth event was a great success! We brightened the longest night, celebrated the return of longer days, and met great people. Here are some highlights:

We had great weather for another year - a rainy week but a dry event.

We estimate about 550 people walked part or all of the 3.7 billion miles from the Sun at the south end of Lake Sacajawea to Pluto at the north end.  We had the world's longest Fun Run from the Sun to Pluto. Couples, individuals, families, and pets had a great time - many dressed up with lanterns and lights. Once again we had visitors drive in from far and wide just to participate. We even had some from Scotland! Thanks for joining us! Some made it all the way to Pluto, and some made it there and back.

Our route followed the Solar System Walk given to the City of Longview by the Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club in 2001. The walk is a series of granite markers showing the relative distances between the Sun and the planets - our solar system, scaled down to Lake Sacajawea. The markers follow the path on the west side of Lake Sacajawea, over 1.64 miles.
Solar System Walk

We had passports for people to take to each planet and get stamped. Thank you to Pat Palmer at Copies Today/Speedy Litho for donating the printing for our passports - again. They looked great!
speedylitho.com

The planets were lit up in a small way or in a big way. Kids got candy at several planets and people got to know some of the great clubs in our community.

Bonus - Cowlitz River Kayakers had their annual Christmas Paddle at Lake Sacajawea. What a great sight to see all the lit up kayaks on the lake!
Cowlitz River Kayakers

Bonus - Cowlitz Valley Runners hosted our second Solstice Fun Run - the world's longest! It was 3.7 billion miles from the Sun at the south end of Lake Sacajawea to Pluto at the north end.
Cowlitz Valley Runners

Bonus - Adiel Boaglio, celebrating her birthday the next day, was kind enough to start the Fun Run and was one of our event judges. Stay tuned to find out which planet won.

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* * * * * If you walked the whole Solar System (3.7 billion miles!), you saw:

The Sun - Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club started off the event with lanterns and passports and candy for the kids. FoG has monthly meetings, sidewalk astronomy, star parties, and our annual overnight event at Mount St. Helens.
friendsofgalileo.com

Mercury -  Silver Lake Resort came out for the first time and had an interactive booth. How did you do on their corn hole toss?
silverlake-resort.com

Venus - The Girl Scouts of Western Washington came out again with a big, welcoming tent. Cookie season is right around the corner!
girlscoutsww.org

​Earth - Three Rivers Christian School came out again to support the Solstice Lantern Walk. What a great turnout they had!
https://3riversschool.net

Mars - Shinju Dojo Aikido Martial Arts School was our very first planet sponsor in 2018! They handed out chocolates and glow sticks for everyone. Learn self-defense and confidence in a friendly, low-impact, non-competitive atmosphere right here in Longview.
shinjudojo.com

Jupiter - Freemasons of Cowlitz County - Thank you, Masons! Freemasons have been making good men better for over 100 years right here in Kelso and Longview.
freemasoncowlitz.org

​Saturn - Cowlitz Coin Club. New to the event in 2023, the Coin Club had great conversations about the interesting coins they had on display. And guess what - Cowlitz Coin Club was our Grand Prize winner for Best Planet in 2024! Congratulations!
Cowlitz Coin Club (on Facebook)

Uranus - The Boy Scouts of America, Cascade Pacific Council didn't just have a good set up and interesting information about their planet ("12 Facts About Uranus!"), they added s'mores and a warming tent! Both were very welcome at that point in the walk.
cpcbsa.org

Sacajawea - First-time sponsor Cowlitz County Historical Museum came out with lots of great info about our area. Have you visited the museum yet? Honorable Mention - People’s Choice for Best Planet in 2024. Congratulations!
cowlitzcountyhistory.org

​​Neptune - The Lower Columbia School Gardens returned with an even better booth than last year, and more samples of terrific homemade bread. Honorable Mention - People’s Choice for Best Planet in 2024. Congratulations!
lcschoolgardens.org

Lunar Library - Our friends at Kelso Library came out for their first time at the Solstice Walk. Check out the library! Honorable Mention - People’s Choice for Best Planet in 2024. Congratulations!
kelso.gov/library

Pluto - Friends of the Longview Public Library returned to anchor our event at the north end of the lake. Well done!
friendslongviewwalibrary

For those too tired to make the return journey, Affi Shrine once again provided our Space Shuttle, a van to take folks back to the start of the event. The Shriners have funded and supported hospitals across the country.
afifishriners.org

Join us for our next event!