Solar eclipse attracts out-of-state visitors to Arkansas

Andy Hunt from Oklahoma City views the eclipse through a welding helmet in Ozark on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

A modest crowd gathered around the Ozark downtown square to celebrate the impending total solar eclipse at Shadow on the Square on Monday. 

The event attracted visitors like Aaron Friendlander from Colorado who brought his family to Arkansas to explore mountain biking trails and view the eclipse. 

The eclipse also caught the attention of John Linehan from Kansas who was seeking a second chance to experience totality, and Moises Castellanos, a truck driver from California who offered prayers and grew emotional from the experience.

Hear visitors discuss their experiences in their own words and view photos from the celestial spectacle below.

To read about hikers’ experiences at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, click here.

https://arkansasadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240408_Solar_Eclipse.mp3

Andy Hunt from Oklahoma City views the eclipse through a welding helmet in Ozark on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

Jonathan Landis from Tulsa uses his new telescope to watch the solar eclipse on the downtown Ozark Square on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

John Linehan and his wife traveled from Wichita, Kansas to Arkansas to be in the path of totality on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

Seth Tanis (right) and Aaron Friedlander traveled from Colorado to Arkansas to ride mountain bikes. Friedlander also brought his wife and son, Marcie and Asher, to watch the total solar eclipse from the path of totality on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

Aaron Friedlander (right), along with his wife and son, Marcie and Asher, traveled to Arkansas from Colorado to view the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

Moises Castellanos from California pauses alongside an I-40 onramp to experience the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

A family views the solar eclipse from a gas station near Ozark, which was in the path of totality on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

Families watch the solar eclipse near I-40 exit in Franklin County on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

Arkansans and visitors from neighboring states traveled to the downtown Ozark to witness the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

The Western Swing Rules Band performed at Shadow on the Square in Ozark on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

The Western Swing Rules Band performed at Shadow on the Square in Ozark on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

The Western Swing Rules Band performed at Shadow on the Square in Ozark on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

Kids ride in a barrel train at Shadow on the Square in downtown Ozark on April 8, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

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