Dieterich celebrates total solar eclipse

Apr. 8—All eyes were on the sky at Dieterich Liberty Park Monday as a total solar eclipse briefly turned day to night, mesmerizing both local residents and travelers from out of town.

The eclipse became visible in the village at approximately 12:45 p.m. and reached its totality in the area just after 2 p.m. Its totality could be seen in the village for approximately two minutes and 15 seconds.

The eclipse viewing party, dubbed "Party in the Path," was held Sunday and Monday at Dieterich Liberty Park.

"We made a decision last fall that if the eclipse is coming, we might as well throw a party," said Dieterich Village Trustee Fred Bray, who one of the party's organizers. "We'll probably have the most darkness in Effingham County."

Dieterich, like much of the area, experienced stormy weather Sunday, but attendees experienced the eclipse and the viewing party under a mostly clear sky Monday. The party included inflatables, a beer garden, several food trucks and live music from an area band, The Hip Huggers.

"Food trucks are going to be open the whole time, and we'll be here even after 2 p.m., as long as people are eating and drinking and jumping," Bray said.

Almost as soon as the viewing party began, Bray began noticing visitors from out of the area, and he explained that the village made sure to better prepare for the influx of travelers that arrived there Monday after being "ill prepared" the last time eclipse traffic came through the area in August of 2017.

"They ran out of gas, and there was no food," Bray said. "I'm grateful that they're showing up."

On the first day of the two-day celebration, visitors gathered at the newly opened Wright Family Center, where they had the chance to check out a star lab and learn from a panel of eclipse experts which included Dieterich High School graduate Seth Bohnhoff, who works as a meteorologist for WCIA.

"I understand it was very well attended," Bray said.

Although the eclipse landed on a Monday, the viewing party was well attended which is, in part, because the village chose to close its schools and most of its businesses for the day.

"Most everything is shut down here in town today," Bray said.

While some at the event were from nearby communities, there were also many at the viewing party who drove hours to get to Dieterich Monday, including Kyle Tobolik of Oak Park, Illinois who, along with his wife Lindsay Tobolik, took his young children out of school for the day to make sure they didn't miss the eclipse.

"We have friends from Effingham, and they pointed us toward Dieterich," Kyle Tobolik said. "This is cool. This is what we were looking for."

Kyle Tobolik said he's always wanted to witness an eclipse, and he somewhat regrets missing the eclipse in 2017.

"If you look at the stars at night, and you don't think, 'Wow, this is cool,' you're not paying attention," he said.

Also in attendance at the viewing party were Kevin Baumann and Pollie Baumann who traveled to Dieterich from their home in Batavia, Illinois. They said their journey to Dieterich took about five hours, which they explained is longer than the trip would normally take.

"There was more traffic than usually on 57," Pollie Baumann said.

Pollie Baumann explained that they were on there way to Newton when they drove pass the celebration in Dieterich and decided to stop there.

"It was a last minute decision, to be honest," she said. "I like the live music. They've got a lot going on here."

One couple, Cory Parker and Christie Parker, traveled all the way from their home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to view the eclipse on their way to Kansas City to visit family.

"This is great," Cory Parker said. "I've got to say that so far, everybody's about twice as nice as you can be. It's outstanding. There's nothing better than a small town atmosphere. It's why we did this."

While in Dieterich, Cory and Christie Parker stopped by Old Mac's Drive Thru, where they enjoyed some eclipse-themed food. They also visited Harry's Tavern.

"We had a really good eclipse burger," Christie Parker said. "It's two bottoms, and they grill it so it looks dark."

While some drove hours to get to Dieterich Monday, others, like Terry Gephart and Alice Gephart of Effingham, didn't have to go very far to catch the unique view of the eclipse the village had to offer. They said they chose to watch the eclipse in Dieterich because of its location on the eclipse's path of totality, and they wanted to support Bray who plays pickleball with Terry Gephart.

"I think there's going to be a longer totality here than in Effingham," Alice Gephart said. "The food is good too.

"I think it's great," Terry Gephart said.

The eclipse also holds a deeper religious and spiritual meaning for Terry and Alice Gephart.

"There's a lot of prophetic symbolism in this eclipse," Terry Gephart said.

"The eclipse is part of God declaring his glory," Alice Gephart said.

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.