The World's Biggest Movie Theater: Promoting the Stars

A great celestial story is only as effective as the teller of the tale. With passion and knowledge at the helm, we must search for ways to pass on that enthusiasm to others while conveying sound science. At the core, our common link is an age-old awe of the sky. From the scientist to the elementary school student, we ask remarkably similar questions. What's out there? When will some object slam into the Earth? Are we alone? In our view as advocates for astronomy at the community level, the public will emerge to discover answers to their questions, if given the forum. It's our responsibility as astronomy advocates to help one another provide those forums. While some regions, perhaps through a school or by a turn of good fortune, offer public observatories with sophisticated telescopes, we also know that an observing event can take place in an open field or a parking lot, and be fully palpable as seen through a pair of binoculars, or by the naked eye. Based on our experience, we present an integrated approach---one that borrows elements from education, entertainment, advertising, and public relations--to help choose an event, hook and keep the public's attention while making them want more, and provide some tips for increasing media presence.