Watch the 2024 total solar eclipse in one of these Bloomington-area parks
Wide open spaces will be in high demand on April 8, when thousands look skyward during the total solar eclipse. Some of the best viewing will be in parks, something both Monroe County and the city of Bloomington have in abundance.
Here's information on what's happening in both the Bloomington and Monroe County parks as well as Lake Lemon's Riddle Point Park and Lake Monroe on April 8 and a couple days beforehand.
Pre-eclipse events at Switchyard Park, Griffy Lake and Cascades Golf Course
The majority of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department's list of events happening on April 8 are in Switchyard Park.
Beginning at 11 a.m. April 5, Food Truck Friday will be happening in Switchyard Park. It's the normal Friday event that begins in April and continues through October.
From 7 to 9 p.m. April 5, Total Eclipse of the Brain, a solar eclipse trivia night hosted by Skip Daley will be in Switchyard Park. Teams will compete; cost is $30 per team of up to six players. Registration is due by April 3; go online to https://bton.in/YvFwH to register.
A Solar Celebration is set for April 6 featuring karaoke with Brad Lake as well as crafts, games and other activities beginning at 6 p.m. From 6-10 p.m. food trucks and a beer garden serving Upland Brewery food and drinks will be available. At 8:45 p.m. "Hidden Figures," a PG-rated 2016 film about three female African-American mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race, will be shown.
April 7 will have crafts, games and activities 2-5 p.m. in Switchyard Park. At 3 p.m. the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra will perform.
Other events on April 7 include a 8-9:30 p.m. Griffy Flow Float at Griffy Lake Nature Preserve. To register go to https:bton.in/4KRY7. Cost is $15 for city residents, $20 for nonresidents. Participants can paddle on their own, or float alongside a naturalist to discuss nocturnal wildlife. Each participant must register. Watercraft, paddles and life jackets are provided. All participants will receive a pair of eclipse viewing glasses. Children age 14 years and younger must be accompanied by a registered adult. Bring a flashlight to help you navigate back to your vehicle once you return to dry land.
A Lunar Links glow-in-the-dark putt putt event will be 7:30-9:30 p.m. April 7 at Cascades Golf Course, 3550 N. Kinser Pike. No registration is necessary.
Join the Celestial Spectacle at Bloomington's Switchyard Park on April 8
On April 8, the day of the eclipse, crafts, games and activities will begin at 10 a.m. in Switchyard Park. Food trucks will be open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. with a beer garden featuring Upland Brewery and Bloomington Brewing Co. open noon to 4 p.m. At noon, Moon Buggy will perform. From 2-4:30 p.m. Comfortably Phree will perform Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon."
Bloomington has many other city parks, which are open 5 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. No overnight parking, tents or other enclosed structures are permitted. Alcoholic beverages, drugs and other illegal substances are prohibited as are amplified music and fires outside of a facility's outdoor grills.
County parks Karst Farm, Flatwoods, Jackson Creek, Will Detmer open, no overnight camping
Monroe County Parks and Recreation has four parks that will be open on April 8 — Karst Farm, at 2450 S. Endwright Road; Flatwoods, 9499 W. Flatwoods Road, Gosport; Jackson Creek, 5970 S. Rogers St.; and Will Detmer, 4140 W. Vernal Pike. The parks offer shelters, playgrounds, restrooms and open spaces for viewing. None of the parks will have shelter rentals available that day. The parks are open during daylight hours.
The public is encouraged to share shelters and picnic tables. There will be no overnight camping, recreational programs and Karst Farm will have no athletic events since the athletic complex will be closed.
In addition to the parks, Monroe County has the Karst Farm and Limestone greenways, both of which will be open to the public during daylight hours on April 8. The Karst Farm Greenway begins at Karst Farm Park and ends more than 7 miles north at Campbells Park in Ellettsville. The Limestone Greenway begins south of Bloomington on Church Lane and runs 1.7 miles south to Dillman Road.
Tickets to Riddle Point Park at Lake Lemon offers unobstructed views
Lake Lemon’s Riddle Point Park, at 7599 N. Tunnel Road, is 14 acres with unobstructed views of the sky on the shores of the 1,650-acre lake.
On April 8, the water will be cold but people can take a dip in the lake from the beach, use a charcoal grill to cook, play a game of sand volleyball or Frisbee in an open field, fish from the shoreline (with proper license), play horseshoes, take a hike on a wooded trail or spend time on a boat, jet ski, kayak or paddleboard (the boat ramp will be open, $22 per day).
Park access on Monday will be ticketed. To purchase, go to lakelemon.org. Tickets are $30 per person for the day, from 10 a.m. through 8 p.m. All proceeds will be used for the benefit and long-term maintenance of Lake Lemon.
Riddle Point will offer live music by Nick Dittmeier and the Sawdusters (8:30-10 p.m.) and Dakota Curtis and The Dark (6:30-8 p.m.). From 4-10 p.m. Pili's Party Taco will be selling food and from 5-10 p.m. Upland Brewery will sell its brews.
The park is offering tent and RV camping as a two-night package (currently no single day or single evening spaces). Arrive as early as 10 a.m. April 7 with checkout by 3 p.m. April 9. For more information, call 812-334-0233.
Events at Lake Monroe begin days before the solar eclipse
Events about the total solar eclipse on April 8 will happen April 6-9 at Lake Monroe.
The first will be a program, The 1869 Eclipse, beginning at 7 p.m. April 6 at Paynetown State Recreation Area. Register at bit.ly/1869eclipse; space is limited to 40 people.
At 10:30 a.m. April 7, Beyond the Eclipse will share other fascinating phenomena associated with the Sun, from sunspots to coronal mass ejections. Register at bit.ly/beyondeclipse. From 2 to 5 p.m. April 7, people can drop by the Paynetown Activity Center for Fun with the Sun, open to both campers and the general public. Capture shadows on paper to make art, punch a template for viewing the eclipse, walk a scale model of the solar system and more. A $1 donation is appreciated. An Eclipse night walk will begin at 8:30 p.m. April 7 at Paynetown's overflow parking lot. Walk a luminary-lit path through the night woods with stations along the way that will tell of myths and folktales about eclipses. Bring a flashlight. Entry closes at 9:45 p.m. The path is about a quarter of a mile long and has a few short hills.
The general public is invited to events on April 8 but with large crowds expected, officials say people should get to Paynetown State Recreation Area early to get a parking spot. Activities for the day include a pinhole camera build (9-11 a.m.), eclipse stations for viewing during the eclipse from 1:55-2:55 p.m. and a campfire from 7:30 to 9 p.m. where people can enjoy hot cocoa and s'mores. Bench seating is available but people are welcome to bring chairs.
For regular updates and announcements about activities at Lake Monroe, go to bit.ly/monroe-eclipse-2024.
Reach Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: 2024 total solar eclipse events in Bloomington, Indiana, area parks
