Crawford prepares to solar eclipse: here is what to expect

The April 8 total solar eclipse is expected to draw thousands of visitors to the area. That will affect safety and security protocols, Crawford annual events such as the Bucyrus Model Railroad Train Show and even mobile phone service.

Crawford County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director Jette Cander said her department has been preparing for the eclipse for two years, coordinating with all county entities, especially law enforcement and fire, as well as townships.

Cander said on the state level, they have worked with the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

In addition, Crawford County EMA partnered with the EMAs in Kentucky and Oregon that are located in the areas with similar populations and infrastructures to review their after-action reports from the 2017 eclipse.

Public safety 'of utmost concern'

The aim of the collaboration, Cander said, is to enhance public safety at the time of the event.

“Public safety is of utmost concern,” Cander said. “Everyone’s public safety is always our utmost concern at any given event, not specifically just because of the eclipse.”

One of the primary concerns, she said, stems from the fact the lion’s share of Crawford County is rural, and it means the lack of lighting and narrow roads as running through rural area two-lane state routes might lead to congestion, especially after the eclipse.

"We are outside of the cities,” said Cander.

Population increase and lagging cell phone service

Cander said the Crawford County population could almost double at the time of the event. However, she said, that estimate does not mean the expected growth will occur all at once.

“We are one of the counties that you traverse through getting to the lake, getting to different places,” said Cander.

Regarding the lagging cell phone service, she said while it is hard to predict the lag exactly, the EMA expects it to be around two minutes around the actual event for a very short period of time.

Cander said emergency services will use radios as well as cell phones.

“Not just ours, all of the 911s are going to be overwhelmed,” Cander said.

Food and entertainment

Crawford County Fair Manager David Staats said four or five vendors plan to sell from the fairgrounds from April 5-9.

The vendors include Ritter's Ice Cream, a local vendor serving tea and bubble tea, and White Picket Fence serving deep-fried food. Staats said the fair is still negotiating with a few more vendors, and he said he was not sure about the number of people who were planning to visit the area.

“We don’t know what to expect, like anybody,” said Staats.

Additionally, said Staats, the fair is working on an eclipse entertainment program, especially at the Youth Building. The organizers, he said, are working on the details, but in the evenings in the community room they plan to show family movies.

Organizers also are talking to local bands and musicians to set up live music in the Youth Building.

Staats said organizers are talking to the local flea market vendors to see if they are available to set up booths on April 7 and 8.

“Each day there will be something going on in the Youth Building and our Community Building ― family stuff in one building and some other things in the other one,” Staats said.

On April 6, the Crawford County Fair plans to host its annual Bucyrus Model Railroad Train Show. Staats said organizers will charge $5 to get into the show and the fair will charge at the gate as well, but gate price is still to be determined.

One of the 10 members of the Bucyrus Model Railroad Association and one of the organizers of the train show, Charlie Baird, said they started the show around 25 years ago.

“It’s a show that you go at and buy stuff and spend, and also sell some stuff, like a flea market,” said Baird.

He said the models of the trains sold during the show are made by manufacturers around the world.

Baird said he could not tell how the solar eclipse will influence the show. Organizers expect around 350 participate in the show, and about 30 dealers.

Questions?

Cander said if the public has questions, people can call the Crawford County EMA at 419-562-6009, email ccema@crawford-co.org or follow updates on the 2024 Crawford Co Ohio Eclipse Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Crawford County prepares for eclipse, warns of weak Wi-Fi, traffic