The Monday, April 8, total solar eclipse didn’t bring the huge population surge everyone was preparing for or was told to expect, but it was a great day for residents and many visitors to enjoy something they might never see again.
Eric Deeter | For The Register-Herald
PREBLE COUNTY — The Monday, April 8, total solar eclipse didn’t bring the huge population surge everyone was preparing for or was told to expect, but it was a great day for residents and many visitors to enjoy something they might never see again.
At least not directly over their hometowns in Preble County. The next total solar eclipse to be seen in Ohio will be in 2099, and not so close to home. The next total solar eclipse which will be visible in the contiguous U.S. won’t be until Aug. 23, 2044, with only three states in the path of totality — Montana, North and South Dakota, according to NASA.
Businesses, organizations, and communities across the county celebrated the once-in-a-lifetime occurrence with special events, sales, and viewing parties, and public safety officials were on high alert for potential crowds and emergencies. Schools closed in advance for the day.
Preble County Emergency Management Director Suzy Cottingim, who led the public safety planning efforts in Preble County, sent out a final situation report on Tuesday, April 9.
“Although we didn’t have the anticipated challenges, we were able to test our plans and our EOC (Emergency Operations Center,)” she said. “We have learned a lot from this experience which will help us in future events.”
Preble County saw totality at approximately 3:10 p.m. for approximately 3 minutes, 27 seconds. The eclipse’s transition toward totality began at 1:52 p.m. and ended at approximately 4:25 p.m.
One of the county’s larger viewing events, the City of Eaton’s Glow in the Park had over 2,000 people attend, enjoying live bands before and after totality, inflatable activities and putt-putt, vendors for shopping, and food trucks which stayed busy all afternoon.
City officials said they spoke with visitors from 23 different states, seven different counties in Ohio, and even Canada, who joined the Eaton residents who came to the free viewing party.
“A lot of out-of-town visitors stopped by our information tent to make sure we knew where they had come from, and share their story of how they picked Eaton to be their viewing location,” Eaton Community Development Specialist Leslie Collins said. “Our Public Maintenance/Parks staff worked hard all day to make sure the event went off without a hitch, creating parking spots for all the vehicles, and even some RVs. And the weather was just perfect for taking in the eclipse.”
“I don’t think anyone at Seven Mile Park on Monday will ever forget the moment of totality when it was totally silent before everyone cheered in unison,” she added.
According to the EMA’s report, small groups of eclipse viewers were also seen gathering in large parking lots, like Walmart in Eaton. City officials said park visitors reported parking in the YMCA parking lot, as well as at Eaton’s DP&L ballpark.
The EMA report noted at the Preble County Fairgrounds, “approximately 60-plus cars drove in starting around 1:30 p.m. on April 8, and watched the eclipse from the fairgrounds. It was great. Very calm and peaceful with great weather.” The fairgrounds had three families camped overnight at the fairgrounds.
In Lewisburg, where the village celebrated all weekend with its Diamond Days events, officials reported heavier traffic than normal through the village, and traffic on Interstate 70 heavy but moving. The village saw an increase in population during its activities over the weekend, and on Monday, approximately 200 guests attended the eclipse viewing at the Lewisburg Community Center, according to the EMA report.
Jared McPherson and his family, originally from Utah, but now living in Miami Township, came to Preble County for the solar eclipse, with his sister and her family joining them from Idaho. They stationed themselves at Garber Nature Center, outside Lewisburg, for the Preble County Park District’s Solar Eclipse Experience.
His sister, Heather Taylor, and her family from Utah had watched the total solar eclipse in Idaho in 2017, and an annular solar eclipse in central Idaho last fall. They were so impressed, they said they were not going to miss it if it were in the contiguous U.S.
“It just happened to be in Ohio and we live here and they’re like, we’ll come out and visit,” McPherson said. And that’s what three siblings and their families did.
The group used an Excel spreadsheet to determine the best location for viewing the eclipse, considering factors such as cloud cover and access to restrooms. “After comparing and contrasting three or four different weather apps, and in other websites and everything, they’re like, this looks good. This looks good,” McPherson said. “And we were hoping that for a place that had a restroom and a nice like outdoor area for us to to be able to set up, and this totally fit the bill. We love what’s going on here.”
McPherson’s friend provided a telescope for the group to use during the eclipse, allowing them to get a closer look at the sun’s corona, and gave him a crash course in setting it up and using it on Sunday.
“When we went to the annular eclipse in central Utah in October last year, we pulled over at a city park where somebody had a whole bunch of telescopes out and we couldn’t believe they would bring telescopes to just share but they did. And they were so kind about it. So, it made me realize how cool it is to see an eclipse through. I was hoping we could and it was really, really nice of his friend Bob to hook us up,” Taylor said.
Groups gathered all across the county, from the Olde Schoolhouse Winery, to the Preble County Council on Aging, Preble County District Library, and campgrounds from New Paris to Camden, to view the eclipse.
If you’re not saving your eclipse viewing glasses for a souvenir, recycle them. Cottingim shared in her report that the City of Eaton is collecting them and will ship them to Latin America for children to use during an eclipse there in August. Glasses can be dropped off in the lobby of the Eaton City Building, located at 328 N. Maple Street.
Visitors and residents who “got mooned” in Preble County on Monday can still order their Preble County eclipse wear at the Preble County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s print-on-demand online shop hosted by Sunshine Apparel in Oxford. To order apparel, visit https://sunshineapparel.chipply.com/PCRSE/.
Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4061 and on X @emowenjr.
