Special Solar Eclipse Event Planned

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Volunteers needed to help with planning

By Susan Smith Kline

On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean. Weather permitting, the first location in continental North America to experience totality will be Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 AM PDT.

The path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, enters the United States in Texas, and travels through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The eclipse then enters Canada in Southern Ontario, and continues through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton. The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 PM NDT.

For our area, the partial eclipse will begin at 12:39 PM. Totality will start at 1:56 PM with the maximum also at 1:56 PM. Totality will end at 2:00 PM and the partial will end at 3:15 PM.

Arcadia Valley is in the “path of totality,” meaning that we will experience a total eclipse rather than a partial one. The Arcadia Valley Tourism Committee’s “Solar Eclipse Task Force” invites you to join them in celebrating this astrological wonder. The committee will be working with city and county agencies to plan a special two-day festival leading up to this spectacular event. It will be held throughout Arcadia Valley on April 7th and 8th and will include a variety of fun events. Plans include a vendor and food truck market along Main St., a community-wide scavenger hunt, a Jeep/side-by-side rally, a poker run, and a decoration contest. There will be a “Total Eclipse in the Park” party, eclipse-themed activities, shuttles to multiple viewing locations, a parade, and much more! The task force encourages local businesses to participate in the festival by offering special products, foods, services, and activities. They will be happy to publicize what each business is offering. They are also looking for food and craft vendors to participate in the Main St. market and are currently accepting applications, which can be found on the tourism website at www.VisitArcadiaValley.info/eclipse. Lastly, they are also looking for additional volunteers.

If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please contact the task force at arcadiavalleyrocks@gmail.com.

This sounds like a fantastic event, and I will remind you all again as the time draws closer.