Ward Beecher Planetarium offering two holiday shows

YOUNGSTOWN -- The Ward Beecher Planetarium at Youngstown State University is offering two special shows this week to mark the holiday season.
"Holiday Lights," a Christmas program of lights, music and visual effects, is set for 6 and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and "George and Oatmeal Save Santa" is scheduled for 1 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The shows are free and open to the public, but the planetarium seats only 150, so space is limited and reservations aren't accepted.
"Holiday Lights" is offered every year at this time and is suitable for general audiences. It offers the sights and sounds of the holiday season with lights, music and visual effects, but also has an educational component, said Sharon Shanks, planetarium lecturer.
The program includes a discussion of why we have the changing of the seasons and uses the planetarium dome to track the path of the sun across the sky to explain its effect on our climate.
Especially for children
'"George and Oatmeal Save Santa" is offered in a reduced segment as part of the "Holiday Lights" show but is shown in an expanded version as the feature presentation of the Saturday programs. It is specifically designed for children age 4 and older and also includes holiday music and special features.
It weaves a tale of a missing Santa Claus and how George the wizard and Oatmeal the snowman team up to find him and show him how to use the North Star to find his way back to the North Pole.
The planetarium dome is used to show star constellations and how to find the North Star.
For more information on the programs, visit the planetarium's Web site at www.cc.ysu.edu/physics-astro/sked2005.html.