Watching the eclipse from University Plaza was a heavenly thing

OK, I know Rowland already wrote a column about the eclipse.

But relax. This isn't so much about the eclipse itself as it is about what happened in downtown Hagerstown during the eclipse.

If you missed Downtown Hagerstown's viewing party Monday at University Plaza, I'll fill you in.

I attended on a whim; my colleague Julie was covering the event, but she kindly offered me an extra pair of viewing glasses she'd been sent. I've lived through an eclipse or two before (which is probably why I assumed that if the Rapture were going to happen last Monday, it wouldn't be because the sun happened to pass behind the moon). But it's going to be a while before it happens here again, so …

When I arrived shortly after 2 p.m., a respectable number of folks were milling around the plaza. Some had already spread blankets out on the grass for prime sun sighting.

Brittany Arizmendi, the city's community engagement officer, was passing out eclipse glasses and watching the gate, hoping for a good turnout. She'd envisioned students from the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts streaming over for the festivities, she said, but then came the announcement that schools were dismissing early. She was still hoping some of them would show.

One thing had already turned for the better, however. The sky, cloudy Monday morning, was now bright blue — at least from the city center. I suggested that as the time for "totality" approached, so would a few more people.

And that's exactly what happened.

Scores of folks who live or work downtown — or just wanted to come to the party — started showing up.

Children were passing small Frisbees. Adults were grouping with friends, laughing and glancing skyward.

And not a few were bobbing to the infectious celestial music set provided by emcee Ryan Smetzer (honestly, have you ever seen Ryan Smetzer when he was not smiling?).

I spotted staff members from the University System of Maryland, several county employees and a lot of other folks taking a rare afternoon break, and ready to let their hair down a little.

And then, shortly before the Big Moment, the cast of BISFA's Addams Family production dropped by, taking a little time from rehearsals to catch this cosmic phenomenon with the rest of us. (By the way, I hope you got your tickets for the show …) Brittany Arizmendi was beaming.

In the end, Arizmendi and company passed out more than 200 pairs of eclipse glasses to plaza revelers. And that's only a partial indication of the crowd, since some of us brought our own.

And when the climactic moment arrived, everyone was looking up. And many were singing along as Smetzer played "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Black Hole Sun."

(That might or might not have included yours truly. I'm not confessing to anything.)

And here's the thing: None of that (well, except for the eclipse part) is particularly unusual when crowds gather downtown.

As I headed out, I noticed something else.

The eateries I passed near the plaza seemed to be buzzing with business.

I know there are still many who have bad vibes about downtown Hagerstown, and I know why. I've seen it myself. I've worked downtown for years and I have no illusions. Nobody's saying downtown's issues have gone away.

But if you haven't been downtown lately, you're missing the other things that are happening, too.

And those who stubbornly choose to see only what's wrong downtown aren't keeping the rest of us from enjoying what's good.

I, for one, plan to spend a lot of time downtown this summer.

I hope I'll see you there.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Downtown Hagerstown's eclipse party was a cosmic experience