posted 01-31-2016 10:45 PM               

An Evening With Apollo 8

Imagine hearing the story of the Apollo 8 mission from the men who flew it... It can happen! You can spend an intimate evening with Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders. This once in a lifetime opportunity is brought to you by the Heritage Flight Museum, founded by Bill and Valerie Anders, now in Washington’s beautiful Skagit Valley.

Details are being finalized, but mark your calendars now:

An Evening With Apollo 8
May 14, 2016
Heritage Flight Museum,
Skagit Regional Airport-KBVS Burlington, WA

Ticketing and sponsor information will be available soon. Fly-In parking will be available.

This event is a fundraiser benefiting the Heritage Flight Museum, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 1996 by Bill and Valerie Anders.

posted 02-23-2016 03:42 PM               

I can understand your disappointment, but the reason the astronauts are doing this is to raise funds for the museum; they don't personally benefit from this in any other way. So kudos to them for maximizing the return, as it is sure to make a difference to the museum going forward.

As an aside, the prices really aren't all that "obscene" for charity events. Granted, there are galas that cost less, but $1,000 per plate is not unusual.

posted 02-23-2016 10:27 PM               

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Originally posted by moonnut:
If Mr. Anders would do what Fred Haise does for the Infinity Science Center, his museum would make probably more than this current benefit.

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posted 02-24-2016 09:53 AM               

Fourteen or so years ago $250 was a lot of money to me — still can be to some people, and even today I have to think twice before spending that much on one thing — but for a chance to hear Neil Armstrong speak, not even to meet him, it was worth it. (The price included an exotic dinner such as kangaroo and alligator, and as for the other celebrities there that night, I briefly met Walter Cronkite, who wasn't signing, and also heard from Arthur C. Clarke, who was piped in via satellite from Sri Lanka.)

(I also met Dan Goldin, who signed my NASA Fact Files booklet, circled the logo on the cover, and said, "Get rid of the worm.")

posted 02-24-2016 10:39 AM               

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
That's at least $200,000 for the evening.

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I'm not one of those that is all about the signature... trust me.

posted 02-28-2016 08:20 AM               

As someone with experience with political and charity fundraisers, I've got to say the top tier tickets are not at all out of line. Given the age and scheduling issues of the headliners it's hard to fault the museum for maxing out their fundraising potential. Let's face it, they will most likely get only one bite out of this apple.

posted 02-28-2016 09:08 AM               

It was the fundraisers' job to raise as much money as practically possible, and I just noticed that every single $10,000 ticket for the three astronauts' tables have been sold. So they seem to have done their job — although it will be interesting to see if those dozens of $5,000 tickets sell.

posted 02-28-2016 10:02 AM               

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Originally posted by stsmithva:
I just noticed that every single $10,000 ticket for the three astronauts' tables have been sold.

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posted 04-15-2016 10:24 AM               

We're pleased to announce that "An Evening With Apollo 8" will be made live to a global audience on the night of the event – May 14, 6:00 PM PST! You can pre-purchase the live stream starting on Monday, 18 April for $19.95. Please note that the event must be watched live, there will be no pause/resume option for the live viewing.

posted 05-18-2016 10:19 AM               

The three astronauts were hilarious and Milt and Gerry (and Sandy) were great also — I had a lovely discussion with Gerry that was great! Frank Borman is a total hoot, Jim serious and imaginative and Bill Anders a real gentleman and a fantastic host, he couldn't do more to ensure everyone had a good time and his family and the whole staff, also made us feel incredibly welcome.

Marilyn and Valerie were absolute superstars and you couldn't imagine nicer people. This was worth ever penny and more.

The team at Heritage Flight Museum put on an outstanding event, with great food and drink (including Apollo 8 wine). Lots of pictures with the attendees on my camera that I'll upload and share shortly.

However, one thing I encourage everyone to do is to visit the museum and see the amazing and flying exhibits. I don't think I've seen such an outstanding collection. The museum is in a fantastic location with beautiful countryside and many things to see and do, and an hour's drive from Seattle or Vancouver, we also went to the Seattle Museum of Flight and Boeing.

posted 05-18-2016 01:54 PM               

During dinner the three astronauts and David Hartman, the moderator, were introduced by Greg Anders, who now runs the museum, and they took their seats on the stage. David did a great job of slowly taking us, and the crew, through all the major events of the flight. It was so incredibly special to hear them talk about their flight and also to see them interact with each other, sometimes complementing each other's stories and at other times poking fun at each other. Interesting also to get a sense of their different personalities this way. Most memorable perhaps simply listening to a replay of the reading of Genesis together with the three protagonists.

At a later stage Gerry Griffin and Milt Windler also joined the discussion, as representatives of the vast support crew, and finally and deservedly Valerie Anders took the stage to discuss the important role the Apollo wives played.

posted 07-18-2016 09:47 AM            

Well, not only did that come true, but the icing on the cake was a once in a lifetime photo with the entire Apollo 8 crew. I'm still smiling. Very nice event.

posted 07-18-2016 07:13 PM               

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Originally posted by Neil McRae:
Here is the Earthrise photograph that was given out.

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