Eclipse attendance not up to expectations
Apr. 9—GREENSBURG — The City of Greensburg, Visit Greensburg and the Decatur County Commissioners hosted eclipse events at Pirate Park and the Decatur County Fairgrounds over the weekend and on Monday.
Live bands performed as kids crafted and played games at Pirate Park, while a smaller-than-expected number of eclipse enthusiasts shopped the Decatur County Fairgrounds' vendor event.
The fairgrounds' event featured a three-day vendor market, a beer garden, pedal pulls for adults and live music.
Vendor owner Tracey Bottoms was moderately pleased and upbeat about the fairgrounds' event.
"Tomorrow will be a good day," she said Sunday.
By early afternoon Monday, crowds at both locations had improved with considerably more people on hand at Pirate Park in particular.
Large crowds for eclipse-related activities also did not materialize in Rushville as anticipated.
Much of what was publicly advertised was organized by the Heart of Rushville organization and took place in Discovery Park, adjacent to the Rushville Public Library in the 100 block of W. Third Street.
A small crowd showed up Sunday where strawberry shortcakes were served by the Heart of Rushville, a bluegrass band performed and a couple of food vendors were set up. Monday's crowd was better, but still did not meet expectations.
Around 1 p.m. Monday the Heart of Rushville's Facebook page shared the following: "The food trucks are open and we are meeting people. We've had (folks) from Ohio, DC, Missouri, Michigan and all over Indiana come join us at Discovery Park, a block west of Main on 3rd Street for great food, face painting and Strawberries and Shortcake."
In Batesville, 10,000 to 20,000 visitors were expected to visit Monday.
Area residents and tourists from out of town were encouraged to set up and watch the eclipse from the Bill Gillespie Soccer Park, 922 Delaware Road. There were food trucks at the nearby Knights of Columbus Hall as well.
At the time of this writing, the number of people visiting Batesville for the eclipse did not appear to match expectations, according to multiple reports.
We asked Daily News Facebook followers for their thoughts and reactions to the eclipse and related events. The following features samples of what was shared.
Tiffany Nicole Ailes: My dogs were barking like crazy, the birds got silent and we (saw) a hawk in our tree. The temperature was insane!
Lynn Manning: (It was) the most amazing thing I have seen, it was beautiful!
Lupito Orcozo: Breathtakingly beautiful!
Shauna Fleenor: It was the coolest experience ever!
Alexis Paige Ice: We thought it was pretty cool! Such an awesome experience.
April Carpenter: I went to Kentucky 7 (years) ago and this one ... was twice as long and more spectacular! Glad I experienced this with my partner and some family.
Chris Ramey: I believe that it may be one of the best scientific events I have seen and might see in my lifetime. It was an amazing experience for my kids as well.
Monday's total solar eclipse was visible across North America. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth.
The total solar eclipse started in Indiana at 3:01 p.m. with the final exit of the Moon's shadow from the state at 3:12 p.m. Through the Hoosier state, the speed of the Moon's shadow accelerated from about 1,700 miles per hour to about 1,850 miles per hour.
Much of the Hoosier state last witnessed a total solar eclipse roughly 155 years ago, on Aug. 7, 1869, at which time the totality spread over the southern and western portions of Indiana.
The contiguous United States won't experience another total solar eclipse until Aug. 23, 2044, according to NASA.
Contact Bill Rethlake at 812-651-0876 or email bill.rethlake@greensburgdailynews.com.
