Rock-It Fest 2009 lands on TAMIU

Rock-It Fest 2009 will launch its way onto the TAMIU Green on April 18, which marks the Lamar Bruni Vergara (LBV) Planetarium’s fourth anniversary. This event will be divided into two parts: the afternoon event, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. will be dedicated to entertaining children and families, and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., the evening event will entertain college students and adult audiences. Rock-It-Fest will be free and open to the public.”Our goal is to showcase the planetarium’s facilities. We are lucky to have this type of planetarium. When we first opened, this was only one of 19 planetariums of this kind in the world. I often hear people complain about not having much to do here in Laredo. Well, here [in the planetarium] we offer a variety of shows for audiences of all ages,” said Gerardo Perez, director of the LBV Planetarium. The afternoon children’s fest will consist of activities, such as face-painting, a moon bounce, interactive games, prizes, and much more. The planetarium will also screen the movie “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure,” four consecutive times starting at 4 p.m. Experience the journey of discovery and learn about the Big Dipper, the North Star, and more. Children can also participate in a coloring contest and have the opportunity to win a star registered under their name.In the evening, live bands such as Fallen on September will perform. Event-goers will also get a chance to experience the planetarium through a free tour, featuring a short montage of rock shows.Another star registry will be awarded to an individual who can best impersonate Michael Jackson’s ‘moonwalk’. Tours of the planetarium will be offered during the day and evening events, along with many other specials and prizes.”The planetarium is a digital theater, so not only can we educate, we can also branch out to entertainment. We are trying to reach all types of audiences here,” continued Perez.Rock-it-Fest 2009 is part of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009. Along with 130 countries, IYA 2009 is a global celebration of astronomy which honors the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s discovery of the telescope.For more information, call (956) 326-2444 or visit the planetarium’s web site at www.tamiu.edu/planetarium.