SnapShots Official Newsletter of the Capital City Camera Club December 2008
Inside this Issue MEMBER OF THE YEAR PRINT OF THE YEAR RESULTS MONTHLY COMPETITION RESULTS CCCC CHRISTMAS PARTY CALLAWAY GARDENS 2009 ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY PHOTO EXHIBIT DESOTO CAVERNS SAFARI INDIAN POWWOW FIELD TRIP WHAT’S IN YOUR BACKYARD SEATTLE SPACE NEEDLE
Capital City Camera Club Members
Club Officers
Chuck Rice – President - MAR 09 Robert Thomson – Vice President Ron (Bart) Bartoszewicz Sherry Beazley Barbara Bennett Anna Bishop - JAN 09 Donna Blanks Jessica Bowman Barbara Bryan LaDonna Burks Pierre Caldwell Sandra Campbell Deborah Conley Mitford Fontaine Robert Fouts Sarah Fullerton Keith George Srinivas Ginjupalli (Sri) Aleah Goode Rhonda Goode Tim Goode Kathy Groves
Background photo by Tim Goode
Jeff Elliott – Secretary Don Ball – Treasurer
Club Members
Jim Harris Beverly Henry - JAN 09 Jan Hoffman Jeannine Keener Ronald Klein Amanda Kuykendall Charles Kuykendall Jesse Kuykendall Nathan Kuykendall Robert Lake Bryce Lugenbeal Anita McFarland Sue Mehearg Lori Mercer Clyde Mills Curtis Miyasaka Jim Pappanastos Judi Parks DiAnna Paulk Wayne Pratt
Valencia Price Elizabeth Rhodes Vincent Sabatine Carl (Snake) Saunders Elly Seo Diane Sims Sue Sizemore Lori Sullivan Eleanor Thomas Debbie Townes Jackie Webber Connie Westover - NOV 09 Maddie White
*MONTHS SHOWN IS THE MONTH YOU VOLUNTEERED TO BRING REFRESHMENTS.
A few words from the Club President Thank You!
I
would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the members of the Capital City Camera Club for their participation in the club activities over the last year. I would especially like to thank those who have put in extra effort all year long to make sure that our meetings and activities are something that you want to participate in. Those people know who they are so I won’t go into a list of names but they truly have my appreciation and thanks. This is a special time of year, full of tremendous opportunities to take some great photographs but I want to caution all you photographers to try and avoid what I have found myself to be guilty of over the years. Don’t spend all of your time behind the camera and then, when it’s all said and done, miss out on the activities yourself. I look back over the years of photos that I have of family holiday events and there seems to be something missing. It’s me. Since I was taking all those photos, I wasn’t in them. Whether you hand the camera to someone else to take photos or just put it down for a while, make sure that you become a part of the overall family portrait of the holidays. The Capital City Camera Club is growing and with all of the new members there are bound to be new ideas for photographic opportunities out there. I would encourage each of you to let us know what you would like for this club to do. We have field trips, workshops, programs, and competitions and keeping all of those things fresh and new and exciting is a daunting task. Your help in coming up with ideas will make it easier. So, let’s make 2009 another great year! Have a great holiday!
Chuck
Capital City Camera Club Meeting Dates 2009 Club Meetings
2009 Business Meetings
Dates
Dates
January 12
January 26
February 9
February 23
March 9
March 23
April 13
April 27
May 11
May 25*
June 8
June 22
July 13
July 27
August 10
August 24
September 14
September 28
October 12
October 26
November 9
November 23
December 14
December 28
Dates are subject to change. Attend meetings or visit the club website for the most up-to-date changes.
Club Member of the Year Carl Saunders
(FYI – Beginning in 2008 we will no longer have a “Photographer of the Year”. The point of this competition is to encourage PARTICIPATION by all members so we will now have a “Member of the Year” that will reflect the person who attended the most meetings, field trips, and safaris, who entered the competitions, and who presented programs and workshops.) The Capital City Camera Club will choose a Member of the Year (MOY) based on the number of points awarded to each member. Points are awarded as follows: 1. Regular Meeting Attendance - 1 point (does not include business meetings) 2. Program Presentation - 2 points for presenting a program of at least 1 hour in duration at a regular club meeting. 3. Workshop Presentation - 3 points for presenting a workshop of at least 2 hours in duration at a time other than the regular club meeting. 4. Regular Competition - 1 point per print entered into competition 5. Online Monthly Competition: 1 point for each entry. 6. Field Trips / Workshops - 2 points each (Field Trips/Workshops are club scheduled photo activities) 7. Regular Photo Safaris * - 1 point each (maximum one Regular Photo Safari Point per month) 8. Makeup Safari* – 1 point each for maximum of 2 Make Up Safaris. (Only if no Field Trip/Workshop points awarded) *Safari Rules: 1) Photo Safaris are member coordinated events with the intention of taking pictures. These events may be organized by any club member at any time and at least three members must participate for the Safari to count. 2) All participants in the Safari must have at least one image taken during the Safari posted on the Safari gallery on the web. (Example: A person can get 2 points for a Field Trip/Workshop and 1 point for a Regular Safari for a total of 3 points in a month or they can do 1 Regular Safari and 2 Makeup Safaris for a total of 3 points in a month. There is a maximum of 3 Field Trip/Workshop and Safari points per person per month.) A few notes: 1. All points are cumulative (they add up) 3. All points must be documented so sign in at every event or make sure that you have a print from the event posted on the web. 3. There will be no points awarded for the month of December so that the MOY committee can finalize the MOY award before the December club meeting.
ON-LINE COMPETITION CHANGES The Monthly Assignment Online photo competition sponsored by the Capital City Camera Club is going to have some changes beginning with the January 2009 contest. Photos for that contest must be taken between the dates December 15th and January 31st and the subject will be “Cold”. The changes will be in the way the images must be submitted and the size of the images. In the past the images were posted on the “Forum” part our website either directly by the owner or they were sent to me and I posted them there. They were then copied and also posted on the pBase portion of our website. Beginning in January the photos must be posted to the pBase site directly or sent to me to be posted there. We will no longer use the Forum for this purpose. Also the size of the images will change. Previously the size had to be 490 pixels on the longest side. That is now going to be expanded to 600 pixels on the longest side. The images were limited to 90k maximum size. That limit will now be 125k. These changes will make the process easier and make it possible for us to improve the quality of our Online contest images. I look forward to seeing the new entries. Chuck
December Club Meeting T
he main event of December’s club meeting was announcing the Print of the Year. Robert Fouts and John Oliver served as our judges. The print selected from the Advanced category was “Racing Through the Yard” by Tim Goode. The printed selected from the Novice category was “Wind Swept” by Beverly Henry. These two prints competed against each other for overall “Print of the Year” The winner was “Wind Swept”. Congratulations go to both members for the excellent work they submitted.
Chuck Rice won the November on-line competition with his image “Grandma’s Newest Treasure”. The January topic for the on-line competition will be “Cold”. Charles Kuykendall won the door prize which was a book titled “Joy of Digital Photography”. Anna Bishop and Beverly Henry will be bringing the refreshments for January. Topics were chosen for the competitions for the upcoming years, 2009 and 2010. The first competition of 2009 will be Historic Sites and Open. The following categories were selected for the remaining competition months. They will each be assigned a specific month in the upcoming days. Storms • Religion Trash • Hero • Travel City • Furniture Black and White Valentine Abstract • Candy • Colors Members were asked to think of places they would like to go on Field Trips in 2009. The February 2009 field trip will be to the Montgomery Zoo. Ideas submitted for future field trips included: Safari Park, Renaissance Festival, Birmingham Zoo/ Botanical Gardens, Monroeville, Monster Mountain, Barbara’s Museum, Battle of Selma, Prattville Motorcross, Biscuits Game and several others. 2008 PRINT OF THE YEAR 2008 NOVICE PRINT OF THE YEAR “Wind Swept” Beverly Henry
2006 PRINT OF THE YEAR “Into the Blue” DiAnna Paulk
2005 PRINT OF THE YEAR Oh, Be Careful Little Feet Where You Trod DiAnna Paulk 2008 ADVANCED PRINT OF THE YEAR “Racing Through the Yard” Tim Goode
2007 PRINT OF THE YEAR “Historic Parlor” DiAnna Paulk
2004 PRINT OF THE YEAR “Blue Sunglasses” Paul Auen
November Club Meeting N
ovember was a competition month and the categories included “Black and White Photojournalism” and “Open – Black and White”. Our judge, Derek Brown from “You’ve Been Framed” in Millbrook, experienced the Capital City Camera Club for the first time. We appreciate the time that he took to come to our club meeting and share his opinions regarding the entries. It was an important night as well for election of officers of the club. Chuck volunteered to serve as President again after no one wished to be elected to this position. Chuck has held this position for the past four years. He asked that, in continuing to perform as President, that we all make an effort in participating in the club. There are a lot of positions on committees we need to fill for the upcoming year to make the club as successful as possible. There are other tasks we
Photo by Curtis Miyasaka
can take care of, such as arriving early to help set-up, staying late to arrange the room back to the way it was when we showed up, placing the club signs out in front of the building, etc. Let’s all chip in and let our actions show Chuck how much we appreciate the work he has done for the club. Who knows, if we save him some time, he may be able to go out and shoot more pics! Robert Thomson volunteered to another term as VicePresident, Jeff Elliott volunteered to serve as Secretary, and Don Ball agreed to another term as Treasurer. These positions were all voted upon and accepted by the club members who were present. Judi Parks is the Past President. Donna Blanks and Beverly Henry provided the delicious refreshments. Don’t forget you can sign up for refreshments for 2009 on the club website.
October Online Competition Congratulations to Tim Goode for winning the October On-Line competition. “Alabama National Fair” by Tim Goode
November Online Competition Congratulations to Chuck Rice for winning the November On-Line competition. “Grandma’s Newest Treasure” by Chuck Rice UPCOMING ON-LINE December - Holiday Season November - Family
C C C C advanced apital
ity
amera
lub
“Kim Hendricks interviews.... WWII vet returning from Freedom Flight 1st Place Photojournalism by Carl Saunders
“Over 100 campers are trapped . . . . 3rd Place - Photojournalism - by Carl Saunders
“The Powerful Effects of Hurricane Katrina” 2nd Place - Photojournalism - by Tim Goode
advanced
November Print Competition “Perfect Landing” 1st Place - Open - Black and White - by Tim Goode
“The Table is Set” 3rd Place - Open - Black and White - by Carl Saunders
“Afternoon Light” 2nd Place - Open - Black and White by Tim Goode
“Time to Dream” HM - Open - Black and White - by Judi Parks
novice
Capital City Camera Club
“Photojournalism in Action” - 2nd Place - Photojournalism by Elizabeth Rhodes “Troopers Train for Hurricane” 1st Place - Photojournalism - by Mit Fontaine 3rd Place Open - by
“The Vote of a Lifetime” HM - Photojournalism - by Anna Bishop
“Our Government at War” 3rd Place - Photojournalism - by Elizabeth Rhodes “Prissy waits for the next move.....” HM - Photojournalism - by Beverly Henry
novice
November Print Competition
“Spotlight on Beauty” - 2nd Pla ce - Open by Donna Blanks
“Go Into the Light - 1st Place - Open by Charles Kuykendall
“Holy Ghost Baptist Church” 3rd Place - Open by Mit Fontaine
“Reminders of Another Era HM - Open by Donna Blanks
“Child of God” - HM - Open by Elizabeth Rhodes
Callaway Gardens Labor Day Weekend at
2009
Photo by Tim Goode
www.callawaygardens.com
Spend Labor Day weekend, September 4-6, 2009, watching the sky fill with color at the 11th Annual Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival. This festive, old-fashioned weekend is highlighted by the extraordinary vision of a balloon glow on Friday evening, and morning and evening flights on Saturday and Sunday. Between balloon launches, the days are filled with entertainment, family activities, exhibits, demonstrations, music and more.
Friday, September 4, 2009 Admission Rate: Adult $13 plus tax, Child (6 - 12 years old) $6.50 plus tax 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.: Beach Gate open 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.: Leon Jacobs musical performance 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.: Food Pavilion open (fee charged) 8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.: Brass Quartet Performance 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.: Balloon Glow* at Robin Lake Beach (weather dependent)
Saturday, September 5, 2009 6:00 a.m.: Beach Gate opens 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Half-price admission at Beach Gate on Hwy. 27 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Pancake Breakfast by Columbus Exchange Club ($5/person. Includes beverage) 7:15 a.m.: Balloon Launch* (weather permitting) 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Activities at Robin Lake Beach include: Swimming, Paddleboats Miniature Golf, Table Tennis, Shuffleboard Arts and crafts vendors Rock Climbing Wall (fee charged), Spider Jump (fee charged) Bubbles and Kites, Oh My! Family Activities Classic Car Show Leon Jacobs Musical Performances Sand Castle construction Sidewalk Chalk Art Tie-dye T-Shirt Making ($10/adult sizes; $5/child sizes) 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Suburban Atlanta Kite Enthusiasts 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Face Painting ($2/person) 11:00 a.m. & 3:30 p.m.: Disc Dog Demonstrations 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Relay for Life Hole-in-One Contest 5:00 p.m.: Tethered Balloon Rides* $10/adult; $5/child (weather permitting) 6:00 p.m.: Balloon Launch* (weather permitting)
Photo by DiAnna Paulk
Sunday, September 6, 2009 6:00 a.m.: Beach Gate opens 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Half-price admission at Beach Gate on Hwy. 27 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Pancake Breakfast by Columbus Exchange Club ($5/person includes beverage) 7:15 a.m.: Balloon Launch* (weather permitting) 7:50 a.m.: Callaway Fitness Series - 5K run 8:00 a.m.: Callaway Fitness Series Triathlon (1K Swim, 8K Run, 30K Bike) 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Activities at Robin Lake Beach include: Swimming, Paddleboats Miniature Golf, Table Tennis, Shuffleboard Arts and crafts vendors Rock Climbing Wall (fee charged), Spider Jump (fee charged) Bubbles and Kites, Oh My! Family Activities Leon Jacobs Musical Performances Sand Castle construction Sidewalk Chalk Art Tie-dye T-Shirt Making ($10/adult sizes; $5/child sizes) 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Face Painting ($2/person) 11:00 a.m. & 3:30 p.m.: Disc Dog Demonstrations 5:00 p.m.: Tethered Balloon Rides* $10/adult; $5/child (weather permitting) 6:00 p.m.: Balloon Launch* (weather permitting) * Balloon flights are very dependent on weather conditions including wind velocity and direction. Flights are made only when conditions are favorable for safe flights. Location, activities and time are subject to change.
Capital City Camera Club Exhibits Prints at Alabama State University
Photo by Curtis Miyasaka
Rocky Mountain School of Photography is excited to return to Birmingham! Get the latest photography instruction at an RMSP Weekend that’s appropriate for both the digital and film photographer. Plan to spend two days learning in a relaxed, information-filled environment with three of our best instructors. The event will be held at the Doubletree Hotel Birmingham. Choose the Level that Fits RMSP’s Weekends allow you to customize your own curriculum. Weekends are carefully crafted to fit several audiences. During each session, you have a choice of three classes so that you can attend the ones that are most interesting and relevant to YOU. There is no need to choose your classes ahead of time - you can decide as you go. See our ‘Courses’ page for detailed descriptions.
Doubletree Hotel Birmingham 808 South 20th Street • Birmingham, AL 35205 (205) 933-9000 or (800) 222-TREE http://www.doubletree.com The Doubletree Hotel Birmingham is located in the Southside district adjacent to the University of Alabama campus. We have received a reduced parking rate of $5 per day for our Weekend attendees. Please let the parking attendant know that you are there to attend the RMSP Weekend event at the hotel. Directions to Hotel
Critique Session The Sunday afternoon critique session is open to everyone interested in a unique and informative experience. Our goal is to provide you with a learning experience through honest and supportive feedback. All critiques are presented anonymously, so don’t worry about being put on the spot. See our ‘Courses’ page for information on preparing your images for the critique.
Traveling North on I-65: Follow I-65 North to Univ. Blvd. Exit onto Univ. Blvd. and follow to 20th St. South. Turn right onto 20th St. South. The Doubletree Hotel Birmingham is located on the corner of Univ. Blvd. and 20th St. South. Traveling South on I-65: Follow I-65 South to 4th Ave. South. 4th Avenue South is a one-way street. Follow 4th Avenue South to 20th
Exciting Door Prizes We are giving away some exciting door prizes including $100, $250 and $500 gift certificates toward any RMSP Workshop or Career Training course.
St. South and turn right onto 20th St. South. Follow 4 blks. to Univ. Blvd. The Doubletree Hotel Birmingham is located on the corner of Univ. Blvd. and 20th St. South.
Register Early! In 2008 most of the RMSP Weekend events sold out. We suggest you register early.
Traveling West on I-20/50 or from the Birmingham Intl. Airport: Follow Airport Blvd. to I-20/50 West. Take I-20/59 West to the 126-A exit. Exit to the right onto Highway 31 South, which is the Red Mountain Expressway. Follow Highway 31 to the 8th Avenue South Exit. Turn right at the bottom of the exit onto Univ. Blvd. Follow one mile to 20th Street South. Turn left onto 20th St. South. The Doubletree Hotel Birmingham is located on the corner of Univ. Blvd. and 20th St. South.
Tuition Two days $179 One day $129 Group Pricing: $159 per person for both days, $119 for one day. Online and early registration savings have been included in your group pricing (a savings of $20 for two days and $10 for one day). Your group code is: GC18 Submit this code when registering to receive the special group price mentioned above.
Traveling East on I-20/59: Take I-20/59 East to I-65 South: Follow I-65 South to 4th Ave. South. 4th Ave. South is a one-way street. Follow 4th Ave. South to 20th St. South and turn right onto 20th St. South. Follow 4 blks. to Univ. Blvd. The Doubletree Hotel Birmingham is located on the corner of Univ. Blvd. and 20th St. South.
www.rmsp.com for more course information for this event.
Capital City Camera Club Members Go On Safari to Desoto Caverns
Photo by Rhonda Goode
Ph ot o by Sue Si ze more
We s t o ve r ie n n o C y b o Ph o t
P h o to by Tim G
o o de
Going on safaris with other club members is a great way to get more experience shooting. Photo by Carl Saunders
February 16, 2008 Montgomery Zoo Montgomery, Alabama March 15, 2008 Lowndesboro Spring Fling Lowndesboro, Alabama April 19, 2008 Spring Festival Westville, Georgia May 24/25, 2008 Balloon Festival Decatur, Alabama June 14, 2008 Chewacla State Park and Auburn Univ August 16, 2008 Photoshop Workshop w/Phil Scarsbrook Montgomery, Alabama September 13, 2008 Old Alabama Town Montgomery, AL October 11, 2008 Pike Pioneer Days Troy, Alabama November 8/9, 2008 Thunderbird Powwow Niceville, Florida
Thunderbird Intertribal Powwow
2008 Field Trips
November Field Trip - Niceville, FL
All PowWow photos by Carl Saunders.
But Mom, There’s Nothing to Shoot! Go outside and play in the backyard! By Connie Westover Wow! Do you remember those long summer days when you were about 10 and didn’t have anything to do? This summer I found myself wanting to go somewhere and shoot. But where? It seemed like, “Been there, done that”, that’s too far to drive, going there cost too much, etc. I gazed out the window onto my backyard. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice fenced in backyard in a subdivision. With one tree. Well two actually, but one’s on the verge of death. Anyway, my point is, I wasn’t going to run into any neat animals like raccoons, armadillos, squirrels, or chipmunks. I mean really, what could possibly be out there? And as far as birds are concerned, I only had pigeons. So I thought.
There is a vine that grows along our back fence. I found that it was hub for all kinds of cool little creatures. Dragonflies that almost looked cartoonish when zoomed in on. Actually watching their little chompers move through the lens was pretty neat. The vine was also home to some golden orb spiders and a baby lizard. On the other side of the yard, trumpet flowers covered the fence from the neighbor’s yard. These attracted tons of bees and icky stink type bugs. It was also an area where the flies that looked like they were dipped in metallic paint liked to hang out. Oh, by the way, since I was by the fence, I saw that my neighbor had a hummingbird feeder. She just moved in. She didn’t know we only had pigeons. Then something started zooming around my head. Hummingbirds!!!! I went to Lowe’s and bought my own feeder that week. While I was deep into shooting the creatures living in the vine on the back fence, I heard a voice. I looked up and across the yard, the Knology man had came through the gate. He needed to cross the yard to hook up my new neighbor’s cable. He looked at me kind of weird. I told him I was shooting bugs. I’m sure he thought I was peeking through the fence. I found out later he had told my neighbor about my “shooting bugs” story. Sometimes you just need to walk outside.
Sometimes it’s right in front of your face. You just need to take the time to see it.
Seattle Space Needle
The story starts on a napkin In 1959, an unlikely artist inspired by the Stuttgart Tower in Germany was sketching his vision of a dominant central structure for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair on a placemat in a coffee house. The artist was Edward E. Carlson, then president of Western International Hotels. His space-age image was to be the focus of the futuristic World’s Fair in Seattle, whose theme would be Century 21. Carlson penciled the shape that would become the internationally known symbol for Seattle, the Space Needle. However, Carlson and his supporters soon found moving the symbol from the placemat to the drawing board to the construction phase was not an easy process. The first obstacle was the structure’s design. Carlson’s initial sketch underwent many transformations. One drawing resembled a tethered balloon and another was a balloon-shaped top house on a central column anchored by cables. Architect John Graham, fresh from his success in designing the world’s first shopping mall (Seattle’s Northgate), turned the balloon design into a flying saucer. A dozen architects on Graham’s team worked on sketches and ideas before a final compromise was reached just a year and a half before the fair was to open. The next hurdles were location and financing. Since the Space Needle was to be privately financed, it had to be situated on land which could be acquired for public use but built within the fairgrounds. Early investigations indicated such a plot of land did not exist. However, just before the search was abandoned, a suitable 120-foot-by-120-foot piece of land was found and sold to investors for $75,000 in 1961, just 13 months before the World’s Fair opening. Construction, managed by the Howard S. Wright Construction Company, progressed quickly. An underground foundation was poured into a hole 30 feet deep and 120 feet across. It took 467 cement trucks an entire day to fill the hole, the largest continuous concrete pour ever attempted in the West. Once completed, the foundation weighed as much as the Space Needle itself, establishing the center of gravity just above ground. The five level top house dome was completed with special attention paid to the revolving restaurant level and Observation Deck. The top house was balanced so perfectly that the restaurant rotated with just a one horsepower electric motor. In keeping with the Century 21 theme, the final coats of paint were dubbed Astronaut White for the legs, Orbital Olive for the core, Re-entry Red for the halo and Galaxy Gold for the sunburst and pagoda roof. The 605-foot tall Space Needle was completed in December 1961 and officially opened a mere four months later on the first day of the World’s Fair, April 21, 1962. The Space Needle’s elevators were the last pieces to arrive before the opening, the last one just one day before the fair opened. New, computerized elevators were installed in 1993. The elevators travel 10 mph, 14 feet per second, 800 feet per minute, or as fast as a raindrop falls to earth. In fact, a snowflake falls at 3 mph, so in an elevator during a snowstorm it appears to be snowing up. Storms occasionally force closure of the Space Needle, as they did for the Columbus Day storm of 1962 and the “Inauguration Day” storm of 1993 when winds reached 90 miles per hour. The Needle is built to withstand a wind velocity of 200 miles per hour. The Space Needle has withstood several tremors, too, including a 2001 earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale. The tallest building west of the Mississippi River when it was built, the Space Needle has double the 1962 building code requirements, enabling the structure to withstand even greater jolts. The Space Needle was built for just $4.5 million, and has had its share of milestones, including numerous weddings and a jump by six parachutists. During the World’s Fair, nearly 20,000 people a day traveled to the top. The Space Needle hosted over 2.3 million visitors during the Fair and is still, over 40 years later, Seattle’s number one tourist destination. In 2000, the Space Needle completed a $20 million revitalization. The yearlong project included construction of the Pavilion Level, SpaceBase retail store, SkyCity restaurant, O Deck overhaul, exterior lighting additions, Legacy Light installations, exterior painting and more.
Photo by club member Jan Hoffman with a BlackBerry Curve 8330 with a 2.0 megapixel camera.
The Structure • Top of the Space Needle - Aircraft Warning Beacon: 605 feet • Observation Deck: 520 feet • Revolving SkyCity Restaurant: 500 feet • SkyLine Banquet Facility: 100 feet • Pavilion entrance and SpaceBase Retail Shop: ground level • Bottom of foundation: 30 feet below ground • The Space Needle was built on a 120’ x 120’ lot formerly owned by the city of Seattle, which was sold to investors for $75,000 in 1961, just one year before the opening of the World’s Fair. • There are 848 steps from the bottom of the basement to the top of the Observation Deck. • During the construction of the Space Needle, it took 467 cement trucks less than 12 hours to fill the foundation hole (30 feet deep and 120 feet across); this was the largest continuous concrete pour ever attempted in the West. • When the Space Needle was built in 1962 it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. • The foundation weighs 5,850 tons and there are 250 tons of reinforcing steel alone (i.e., rebar) in the foundation. The Needle structure weighs 3,700 tons. • The center of gravity for the Space Needle is 5 feet above the ground. • The Space Needle is fastened to its foundation with 72 bolts, each 30 feet in length. • The Space Needle sways approximately 1 inch for every 10 mph of wind. It was built to withstand a wind velocity of 200 miles per hour, doubling the 1962 building code requirements. When winds around the Needle reach high speeds, 35 mph or higher, the elevators are designed to reduce their traveling speed to 5 mph for safety reasons. During the 1993 Inaugural Day storm, wind gusts reached 90 mph and the top house was closed for an hour and a half. • On a hot day the Space Needle expands about one inch. • There are 25 lightning rods (24 actual rods plus the tower) on the roof of the Needle to withstand lightning strikes. Diameter of the halo is 138 feet. • Diameter of the SkyCity Restaurant is 94.5 feet. • The Space Needle had the second revolving restaurant in the world. The first one was in the Ala Moana shopping mall in Hawaii (now closed). There are now hundreds of turntables throughout the world. • The entire Space Needle saucer does not rotate, only a 14-foot ring next to the windows rotates on the SkyCity restaurant level. • The restaurant turntable revolves on a track and wheel system that weighs roughly 125 tons, borrowed from railroad technology. All it takes to make the turntable revolve is a 1½ horsepower motor (originally it was a 1 hp motor). The 100 foot, or SkyLine, level was built in 1982. • The original name of the Space Needle was “The Space Cage.” The original name of the restaurant was “Eye of the Needle.” • The Space Needle was built in 1962 for a mere $4.5 million dollars. In 2000, the Space Needle completed a $20 million revitalization. The project included construction of the Pavilion Level, SpaceBase retail store, SkyCity restaurant, Deck overhaul, exterior lighting additions, installation of the Legacy Light, exterior painting and more. The Elevators • The Space Needle elevators weigh 14,000 pounds each with a capacity of 4,500 pounds. The counter-weight weighs 40 percent more than the elevator fully loaded. Each elevator carries 25 people. • Each elevator has seven cables total, even though one cable is strong enough to hold the entire weight of the elevator. The cables are changed annually. • Space Needle elevators are equipped with a governor brake that would lock the elevator on the tracks in case all seven cables broke.
• Two of the Space Needle elevators are high speed and can travel at a rate of 10 mph, or 800 feet per minute. Actual travel time from the ground level to the top-house is 43 seconds. Under high wind conditions these high-speed passenger elevators are slowed to 5 mph. The third elevator, primarily used for freight but occasionally used to carry passengers, only travels at 5 mph, or 400 feet per minute. • The last elevator arrived the day before the 1962 World’s Fair opened. • All three elevators were replaced in 1993, at a cost of $1.5 million total. The People • The five principals who organized the “Pentagram Corporation” to build the Space Needle were financier Bagley Wright, contractor Howard S. Wright, architect John Graham, financier Ned Skinner, and timber magnate Norton Clapp. In 1977 Bagley Wright, Skinner and Clapp sold their interests to Howard S. Wright. The Pentagram Corporation has since become the Space Needle LLC. • Architect John Graham, of John Graham and Co., produced the final saucer design of the Needle. John was the designer of the nation’s first shopping mall, Seattle’s Northgate Mall. Credit for the architecture and design also goes to John’s partner Victor Steinbrueck, UW engineering professor Al Miller, artist Earle Duff, designer John Ridley, and design partner Nate Wilkinson. • The first Space Needle Manager, Hoge Sullivan, had acrophobia, a fear of heights. • In 1966 11-year-old Bill Gates, now Microsoft chairman and cofounder, won a dinner at the Space Needle restaurant offered by his pastor. Gates had to memorize chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew, better known as the Sermon on the Mount, and he recited the sermon flawlessly. • During the World’s Fair nearly 20,000 people a day went up in the elevators. The 20,000 mark was never quite attained, however, missing by fewer than 50 one day. The Space Needle hosted over 2.3 million visitors during the Fair. The Space Needle annually hosts more than 1 million visitors, making it the #1 tourist attraction in the Northwest. The Unexpected • Plans to build a stork’s nest atop the Needle were canceled when it was learned that storks could not live in Seattle’s climate and would migrate to warmer climates. • The Committee Hoping for Extra-Terrestrial Encounters to Save the Earth (CHEESE) claims to have plans from the 1962 World’s Fair that show the Space Needle was constructed to send transmissions to advanced beings in other solar systems. • During the fair, private planes that flew near the Needle were reported to the authorities only if they were so close their wing numbers could be read. The Best • The Space Needle was named the “Best Place to Get Engaged” by the Seattle Weekly in 1994. • Viewers of the television show Evening Magazine have voted the Space Needle as “The Most Romantic Restaurant in Western Washington” every year since 1992. • The Space Needle’s SkyCity restaurant was named “Best View” by Where Magazine’s Visitors Choice Dining Awards in 2002 and 2003. • In 1988 Tim Firnstahl and Mick McHugh divided up their $16 million Seattle restaurant empire with a coin toss from the Space Needle.
Scenes from the Marengo House CCCC Christmas Party
By Carl Saunders
By Carl Saunders
By Carl Saunders