Euclid to host solar eclipse event in coordination with Euclid City Schools, Euclid Public Library

Frank Mecham, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·2 min read

Apr. 6—Euclid has announced that it will be hosting an Eclipse festival April 8 starting at 1 p.m. and lasting until 5 at the Euclid Community Stadium, 22800 Tracy Ave.

Matt Young, a Euclid High School science teacher who is helping organize the event along with the city, said that people could enjoy the eclipse at their own homes. But if they wanted to be part of something larger, they should consider making the trip to the stadium.

"'Euclid Eclipse 2024′ is what we are calling it," Young said. "It's a collaboration between the Schools, the City of Euclid, the library, and our local Amazon fulfillment center.

"Together we have been planning for about a year at this point," he added. "We started off small with our initial plans but eventually at the last meeting we had representatives with the police and fire department come in to make sure we had all the safety aspects covered."

He said there will be at least 10 food trucks at the event, and that he hopes people will stick by past the point of totality. He wants people to view this not just as one event, but as a chance to bring the community together for something that won't be seen again in this area for a potential lifetime.

"The goal would be that after the peak of totality, afterwards just hang out, have dinner at the food trucks or play in the park," Young said. "Do some of the fun things that you would do at a festival instead of just rushing home and we are hoping that will alleviate some of the problems with traffic."

In the past some civilizations saw the solar eclipse as a sign of some impending event to come. Now, Young said that he just wants to experience the solar event with the people of his community. He said that it's when you are with others that the spectacle of the eclipse hits hardest.

"We are all about the community," Young said. "And that's why we really pushed to do this event because it was our one opportunity to do it and I didn't want to travel somewhere else- to me, it's all about having a shared experience with people you know and care about."