Astronaut Scott Kelly will kick off 2017-2018 Town Hall lecture series

On Wednesday, Sept. 27, astronaut Scott Kelly will come to Fresno for a special evening lecture at Saroyan Theatre. If you haven’t heard of the San Joaquin Valley Town Hall Lecture Series, it’s a great time for you to check it out.

Twin astronaut study and ping-pong

You may know Captain Kelly as the record holder for the longest time spent in space by an American astronaut, but I fondly think of him as the guy who played ping-pong with a drop of water while orbiting the earth on the International Space Station.

Kelly’s twin brother, Mark Kelly, is also an astronaut. The pair are part of a NASA-sponsored research effort to see what the effects of long term space travel are. Captain Kelly also is the author of a book titled Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery, which will be released in October of this year.

If that’s not impressive enough, he’s worth a follow on Facebook just for the really beautiful photos he posts of the earth from space.

2017-2018 San Joaquin Valley Town Hall lecture series

The upcoming session with Captain Kelly will differ from other Town Hall series lectures in that it will take place in the evening and feature reserved seating only. This means you’ll need to purchase your ticket at Ticketmaster or at the door (assuming it doesn’t sell out before the event).

Tickets are $40, but college students with a valid student ID can attend lectures for free. Season passes start at $140 and enable you to attend all the lectures for the 2017-2018 season. It’s a great opportunity to hear the thoughts behind the success stories from a diverse group of people.

The San Joaquin Valley Town Hall is a non-profit organization that exists to bring internationally renowned speakers to Fresno, sort of like a local TED talk. The town halls were started in Fresno during World War II and continue to this day. It’s a tradition that makes learning personal.

Among this season’s visiting lecturers are Vicente Fox and Temple Grandin. The speakers range from famous veterinarians to cartoonists. Even if you haven’t heard of a particular speaker, it’s always fun to expand your horizons.

How to attend the special evening event

For Scott Kelly’s talk, you can purchase tickets here. If you’re a student, arrive early with a valid college ID and visit the student ticket table near the box office.

A VIP reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. (buy tickets to that here) and the lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. at Saroyan Theatre.

Daytime lecture series information

All daytime lectures start at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesdays. You can purchase tickets for individual speakers here. Season passes are available for purchase here. Reserved seating is not available, so arrive early if you want a particular spot. This season’s line-up is as follows:

October 18: Vicente Fox
November 15: Kevin Kallaugher
January 17: Denise Kiernan
February 21: Temple Grandin
March 21: Michael Pollan
April 18: John Walsh