Casual Space Podcast
LIVE Event
RETURNING TO THE MOON
Casual Space Podcast
First Ever LIVE Event
Sunday, November 12, 2023
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
7s 2nd Avenue
Downtown St. Charles, Il
The Casual Space Podcast is celebrating 200+ episodes in a BIG way- by hosting the first ever Casual Space Podcast LIVE theater event! Casual Space Podcast host Beth Mund will feature an evening celebration featuring very special podcast guests: recording artist Wayne Messmer, author Nancy Atkison, and astronomy professor Joe DalSanto. Bring your family, friends and colleagues to the NEW Moonlight Theater to enjoy an interactive night of fun! Listen and learn as the Casual Space Podcast records in front of a live audience (YOU!) an episode all about our race to return humans to the Moon!
Wayne Messmer is a native Chicagoan who grew up on the City’s Southwest Side. A practitioner of “opportunity management,” he positioned himself in the right place at the right time for 99% of his life. As the P.A. Announcer for the Loyola University Hockey Team, the tape recording of the National Anthem broke before a game was about to start, so Wayne took the microphone and sang it himself. Messmer’s extraordinary singing career started that very day at a college hockey game… and a career began.
Wayne gained recognition as the celebrated National Anthem soloist with the Chicago Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium for 13 seasons in the NHL, including the unrivaled NHL All-Star Game performance of the Canadian and United States National Anthems. Subsequently, he furthered his status with the Chicago Wolves, Chicago Cubs and formerly the Chicago White Sox. Messmer became known nationally as, “Chicago’s Original Voice of the National Anthem.” His signature ending note on the word, “brave,” (on the 5th) has been recognized as his trademark since the 1980’s, and is frequently copied by other singers ever since.
Author Nancy Atkinson, “Eight Years to the Moon: the History of the Apollo Missions”
Journalist Nancy Atkinson has written over 6,000 articles on space exploration, astronomy, science and technology. She is the author of two books: "Eight Years to the Moon: the History of the Apollo Missions," (2019) which shares the stories of 60 engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make landing on the Moon possible; and "Incredible Stories from Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos" (2016) tells the stories of those who work on NASA's robotic missions to explore the Solar System and beyond.
Joe DalSanto first worked as an IT support professional for Hewlett Packard, where he worked on onsite and remote system hardware support for 15 years and then moved into IT project management, helping to lead HP’s early system web support.
But it was his love of the sky that eventually led DalSanto to the classroom. He began making presentations to astronomy clubs and groups and was invited to perform public outreach and oversee the observatory at Waubonsee Community College. His growing love for teaching led to the pursuit of a master’s degree in astronomy, and he began teaching credit classes part-time at Waubonsee. When a full-time astronomy position opened up at College of DuPage in 2012, he left HP to pursue his passion. He teaches two rigorous courses on planetary astronomy and stars and galaxies as well as honors versions of each. DalSanto continues his deep appreciation for the universe and wants others to experience it.
In the 50+ years since people visited the Moon, NASA has continued to push the boundaries of knowledge to deliver on the promise of American ingenuity and leadership in space. NASA is working to keep this promise as it aims to land astronauts on the lunar South Pole by 2024.
But why should we go back? Who will be selected to go? And why now?
On Sunday, November 12, Beth Mund and the first ever LIVE, theater event of the Casual Space Podcast will answer these questions and share an evening of entertainment and casual conversation with authors, experts and YOU!
Parking is free and easily accessible across the street and all around the Moonlight Theater
Drinks are available for purchase
Snacks and treats are included
Discounts available for kids under 18, seniors and astronauts
We’re looking for sponsors who:
Would like to engage with a growing community of space enthusiasts both at the event and beyond- through future weekly episodes of the Casual Space Podcast
Would like to support women, students, and volunteers in STEM and STEAM fields (science, technology, engineering, art and math)
Would like to see their product or service align with an innovative and future-forward thinking audience, and
Would like to help support a program that brings space and science discussions to our community and presents topics like Returning to the Moon that help spark the next generation of explorers
Send questions about the Moon prior to the event directly to Beth (beth@casualspacepodcast.com) to be read on stage!
Join us on Sunday, November 12 for this LIVE Casual Space Podcast event!
Please note: a portion of all ticket sales for this Casual Space Podcast LIVE event will be given to the STORIES of Space Project.
The STORIES of Space Project takes your stories ABOUT space INTO space. Learn more about the project here, www.storiesofspace.com.
As of the time of the Casual Space Podcast event, The STORIES of Space Project is in the process (has legally filed) to become a 501c3.