It’s been a long time coming, but things are gearing up for a total eclipse of the sun. This once-in-a-lifetime event will pass over our section of the country on Monday, April 8.
And when it does, word is, we’d better be ready.
Sure, three Logan County towns have big plans for the weekend leading up to the event and the day itself. In fact, they’ve been putting something together for well over year. We’ll have more on those plans in future editions.
But fun and games aside, Helen Norris, director of the Logan County Emergency Management Agency, wants the area to be prepared for something most of us haven’t experienced before. We’ll see thousands of visitors descending on the area in order to get a glimpse of a celestial event Ohio won’t see again until 2444.
At around 3:10 p.m. on that Monday, the moon will pass in front of the sun, blocking its light completely. For almost four minutes, the area will be as black as night. Street lights might even come on. Due to the timing of the eclipse and the anticipated traffic issues, all county schools—Bellefontaine, Benjamin Logan, Indian Lake, Riverside and Calvary Christian—have canceled classes for the day.
Though Logan County isn’t on the center line, like Wapakoneta, Sidney and Celina, we are on the edge and in the area of totality. That makes our area a prime destination for eclipse chasers.
“An eclipse in itself is not an emergency. It’s an event. We know it’s coming,” Norris said. “But it’s the people who come that make it an incident worth preparing for.”
With this happening in early April, just a week and a half after Easter, Norris also anticipates some people coming early to get close because it’s spring break time. They expect to see the area at least double in population, maybe even triple.
Since three of our five neighboring counties are on the center line — Shelby, Auglaize and Hardin — we can expect hordes of people to head through Logan County in an effort to get as close to the center line as possible.
Here are some important facts to know in order to prepare for what’s to come:
- Looking at a total eclipse without the proper safety glasses can lead to “eclipse blindness” or retinal burns. Symptoms include loss of central vision, distorted or altered color vision. Fortunately, Logan County has many options for getting these glasses and most pairs sell for $2 or less. Some towns are even offering them free to residents.
- Bellefontaine — several businesses have them for sale along with the Logan County Chamber of Commerce office. In fact, the Downtown Bellefontaine Partnership has already handed out about 10,000 pairs and has ordered another 5,000.
- West Liberty — every resident in the village can pick up a free pair at the town office. They’re also included in Moonshade Festival passes, which cost $10 in advance or $15 that weekend. They also have some available for sale at The Rusty Crow in DeGraff for residents there.
- Indian Lake — glasses and shirts are available at The Landing Tavern and C&A Engraving and Gifts.
- Traffic will be backed up. Norris has read after-reports from other areas that experienced a total eclipse. “Traffic continued to move for up to an hour before it started. Then, when the shadow comes, everything will grind to a halt as people watch the eclipse,” Norris said.
“Once it’s over, though, everyone will want to leave at once, resulting in total gridlock for hours. So if staying home or leaving your car there and walking to an event is an option, do that.” - With thousands of people taking photos and uploading videos, we can plan on having issues with reception. “It will suck up all the bandwidth,” Norris explained, “so we expect cell service and Wi-Fi to be interrupted.”
Other areas that have experienced an eclipse have seen this affect the ability of businesses to run credit cards as well, so it’s a good idea to have cash on-hand. - It’s strongly recommended that residents fill their gas tanks and make sure they have the groceries they need before that April weekend. After an eclipse, it’s not unusual for gas stations to run out of fuel, grocery stores to have empty shelves, and restaurants to sell out of food.
The Examiner will provide updated information regarding the three main area events in future issues. Those are:
• Moon Glow Over Main Street, downtown Bellefontaine, April 6 – 8.
• The Moonshade Festival, West Liberty, April 5 – 8.
• Moon-Day at Indian Lake, April 5 – 8.
Find out more on the eclipse page at locoeclipse.com.
