ANN ARBOR, Michigan USA -- Area model rocket enthusiasts find an outlet for their hobby in the Huron Valley Rocket Society, based in Hamburg. It's part of a national network of clubs, many of which formed in the late 1950s and early 1960s after the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik fueled the "space race'' and interest in rocket science.

Clubs formed to provide safe ways to experiment for eager fans who were risking accidents using metal frames and mixing their own propellants.

Model rockets continue to draw a loyal base of fans, says Huron Valley Rocket Society member Doug Scobel.

"The majority of members are children of the space race,'' says John Potts, the club's president.

Hobbyists in the clubs use safer, manufactured rocket motors available in hobby shops and rockets made of safer materials like cardboard and balsa wood. There are beginner kits to advanced scale models available.

Some hobbyists specialize in slow-powered models and others in high-powered model rockets, which have more powerful engines and use different propellants.

Club members build and fly rockets and compete for state and national points at tournaments. The club hosts regional meets at the Jackson Community College campus.

For Scobel, the club is a social draw. He was a bit more active when he participated with his son, now grown. "We flew rockets when we were kids. When we had our own kids, we remembered, 'Hey, this is a lot of fun,''' he says.

For more information on the club, call Potts at 734-678-3226 or visit the Huron Valley Rocket Society Web site, www.huvars.org.

For more on the hobby, visit the National Association of Rocketry site at www.nar.org.

The National Model Rocketry Championships will be in Kalamazoo next year, hosted by SMASH, the Southwest Michigan Association of Spacemodeling Hobbyists.

Model rocket clubs appear to have continued their appeal, but do face challenges these days.

The Huron Valley club has found it harder to find undeveloped fields safe for flying rockets as housing and other development expands, says Scobel.

"As the world has become more developed and more litigious, clubs have to worry about liability and insurance,'' says club member Andrew Tomasch.

Huron Valley Rocket Society meetings are open to anyone age 10 and older. They are held on the third Wednesday or Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at CAE, Inc. at 10087 Industrial Drive in Hamburg. The club meets tonight and Nov. 15, says Potts. (The meeting dates on the club's Web site were incorrect at press time.)