The Planetarium Lady revitalizes observatory and brings the stars to Williston and beyond

April Barton, Burlington Free Press
·6 min read

WILLISTON ― It was as if the stars aligned to bring about Carrie Cruz's cosmic second act. The Planetarium Lady moved to Vermont from Long Island in 2020 following two of her adult children and planned to open a cooking school.

But when her real estate agent showed her a property in Williston that included an observatory, the retired teacher and former planetarium show presenter plotted a new trajectory.

"I didn't anticipate it, but it makes sense," Cruz said. "Instead of filling people with food and satiating appetite physical, it's like an appetite curiosity. Because people are always curious about the sky."

The Planetarium Lady was born and stargazers of all ages can come to her wooded property to learn about the night sky or sit within the inflatable dome as it travels to libraries, community centers and summer camps across the area.

Carrie Cruz refreshed an observatory built by the Vermont Astronomical Society in order to launch her business - The Planetarium Lady - that educates groups about space science. She is seen next to the Williston planetarium on May 18, 2023.
Carrie Cruz refreshed an observatory built by the Vermont Astronomical Society in order to launch her business - The Planetarium Lady - that educates groups about space science. She is seen next to the Williston planetarium on May 18, 2023.

Honoring tradition and making it her own

With its purple walls, blue and yellow accent colors and a hand painted "Planetarium" sign directing visitors down the short trail to the site, it's easy to deduce that a former educator now operates the observatory.

Built in 1982 by the Vermont Astronomical Society to hold the University of Vermont's Clark telescope, the white cinder block building with retractable roof was abandoned years ago and sat empty until Cruz gave it new life. She put on a solid roof and took down most of an interior wall to fit her portable dome that can seat 15 people inside. Add to that, a cozy seating area with space themed literature, fairy lights and other whimsical touches.

A planetarium in the woods in Williston that once was an observatory for the Vermont Astronomical Society, as seen on May 18, 2023. The Planetarium Lady, Carrie Cruz, kept the cornerstone with 1982 engraved on it, still in white and can be seen in the lower corner in the foreground, and an inscription over the door. She livened up the outside of the cinder block structure with colors, a moon and stars painting (at left) and a star decoration. During her renovation starting in 2020, she took down most of a wall, added windows, and replaced the retractable roof.

But she didn't cover over the 1982-etched cornerstone or quotes above the doorframes which include "May every night be clear and starry," "We have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night" and "Let us always remember to follow the stars - TGT 9/5/82."

What she calls her elementary teacher bulletin board includes historical photos of the observatory being built that the astronomical society provided, as well as pictures from the renovation and the final product. It's an homage to the past freshened for the future.

A traveling planetarium for the western part of the state

The Planetarium Lady set up is one that can be delivered at the Williston observatory or be taken to another location. Guests sit inside an inflatable dome − think bouncy house that you can go inside − and a Digitalis Iota Digitarium system projects the stars on the half-sphere's inner walls. The software can show space phenomena from the past and future from virtually any location as the camera flies close to or away from celestial objects, as run by Cruz with her iPad.

The structure folds into a duffel bag, the computer components reside in a suitcase, and with the fan, the whole thing fits into her car. So far, most of her traveling shows have been at community libraries, but she is also working with parks and recreation programs and will visit some summer camps this year. Now that she feels she's had a successful soft launch and COVID has wound down, Cruz hopes to take her programs to schools.

This inflatable structure is a portable planetarium that resides in the Williston observatory part-time but can be also taken to libraries or schools by The Planetarium Lady. Inside can fit 15 people around the circumference and houses a Digitalis Iota Digitarium system. Carrie Cruz renovated the space that was built in 1982, including taking down much of the wall in front of the dome. It is seen here on May 18, 2023.

At the Williston location, she can book private events for groups or families. Her property also includes an AirBnB apartment where she offers a "Romancing the Stars" package that includes a planetarium show for couples.

Traveling program prices are $225 for the first program and $75 for each additional program. On-site shows are $40 for an adult and $20 per child or $200 for a private event for up to 15 people.

Before The Planetarium Lady, Chittenden County area folks needed to travel an hour and a half to the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury to go to a planetarium.

Planetarium Lady sees herself as a storyteller as much as science educator

During her nearly 35 years as an educator, Cruz taught elementary and middle school including gifted students and science research instruction. She also had a career presenting planetarium programs to an audience of 300 people at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York, near where Charles Lindbergh's iconic Sprit of St. Louis took flight.

She really fancies herself a storyteller.

"So we look at science but then we hear the stories. And, most people remember the stories before they remember the science and that’s okay."

Constellations one can see in the night sky, as shown by The Planetarium Lady on May 18, 2023 in Williston.
Constellations one can see in the night sky, as shown by The Planetarium Lady on May 18, 2023 in Williston.

She said she doesn't go in with a set script and, instead, has a variety of items she can talk about as she follows the interest of the participants. "I guess teaching for so many years, it’s very easy to sit back and take my lead. Sometimes you get precocious kids that say ‘you know’ and we follow their curiosity, which is just fun and empowering for kids."

Other times an adult may just want to be able to easily find the big dipper and other notable constellations to impress themselves and their friends. So she gives them strategies to help and sometimes hears back later that her instruction worked.

Total eclipse brings renewed excitement to astronomy

Cruz is relishing the building excitement as northern Vermont prepares to be in the path of a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

She's working on an eclipse-related presentation and gave a preview. The planetarium's ability to show 3D models and the movement and relative positions of objects in space makes the eclipse concept simpler to grasp. And, of course, there's a story. It's a harrowing tale of Hades and Apollo chasing each other across the sky which Cruz delivers with rapture. You'll have to hear how it turns out in person.

For Cruz, the eclipse is a significant moment that can bring people together. She likens it to the 1969 moon landing when the world came together to admire the human spirit and ingenuity in what was a tumultuous period in society.

She said today there's social unrest with political division and human rights, homelessness and hunger issues as well as general nastiness going on.

"And yet people can come together as one world together, one country, one community together and everyone’s looking up at the sky," she said. "And, we’re united as human beings − on the earth − part of the universe." It's a chance for everyone to pause for those three minutes during totality and have the same thought. "That's like a miracle," she said.

As The Planetarium Lady, Carrie Cruz considers herself a storyteller. She says she presents the science but often people remember the stories most. She delivers a planetarium presentation on May 18, 2023 in her observatory based in Williston. The planetarium is also portable and travels to libraries, community events and summer camps.
As The Planetarium Lady, Carrie Cruz considers herself a storyteller. She says she presents the science but often people remember the stories most. She delivers a planetarium presentation on May 18, 2023 in her observatory based in Williston. The planetarium is also portable and travels to libraries, community events and summer camps.

How will Cruz mark the day? She plans to throw a party for friends and family and will definitely be serving "cosmos."

Cruz still gets to cook for her AirBnB guests and says filling people's bellies of knowledge about the sky and our place in the universe fills her soul.

"People are just in awe and tapping into that and feeding into that a little bit – it’s like chocolate chip cookies, like warm, chocolate chip cookies."

Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: A new planetarium opens in Williston, and has ability to travel