Work on the Klinglesmith Children’s Astronomical Observatory continued over the weekend. Volunteers Joe Stanley, Shawn Williams, Mayor Richard Rumpf, and Jim Sauer donated their time and energy to position the observatory’s dome atop the structure on Saturday, Dec 5. Interior work will be next, including the installation of a nine-inch refractor telescope. In the other end of the building, a high-interest immersion activity center based upon the Challenger Learning Center will be situated. “This facility may well be the first of its’ type – an observatory built specifically for the young in heart and mind – in the United States and certainly New Mexico,” Sauer said. The observatory is a project of the Kids Science Cafe on Spruce Street in Magdalena. John Larson | El Defensor Chieftain photo

John Larson, El Defensor Chieftain