Hisey Park, 5443 Middletown Road, Waynesville
Discover the night sky during stargazing events free to the public at the Fred Bay Observatory.
Volunteer members of the Warren County Astronomical Society (WCAS) partnered with the Warren County Park District and multiple community groups to raise funds to build the Fred Bay Observatory at Hisey Park.
- Opened in 2017, the Fred Bay Observatory features a 16-foot dome housing a nine-inch refracting telescope.
- The large telescope lets visitors view all the solar system planets and deep-space objects such as galaxies, nebulas, clusters, and stars.
- The state-of-the-art facility features a rotating dome, an outdoor education plaza, and indoor meeting spaces in Hisey Park’s other buildings so astronomy programs can be offered year-round.
Under an agreement with the Warren County Park District, WCAS provides stargazing activities at the Fred Bay Observatory.
The schedule for events open to the public free of charge is available online at wcas-oh.org/events.
Who Was Fred Bay?
The Fred Bay Observatory at Hisey Park is named in honor of the late Fred Bay, a long-time Warren County Park District commissioner and amateur astronomer. He spearheaded a community effort to add night sky viewing to the park district’s nature education programs.
Under Fred’s leadership, multiple community groups collaborated to raise funds and acquire equipment to build and operate the observatory.
The telescope was designed, constructed, and donated by Jeff Blazey of Lebanon, another park district commissioner and a WCAS founder. Park district staff and volunteer members of the WCAS erected the observatory building.
Today, WCAS volunteers operate the Fred Bay Observatory at monthly events for the public and announce special viewing programs when rare astronomical events such as comets and eclipses occur.
