Mar 12, 2024 5 min read

By Brad Hundt

Staff writer

bhundt@observer-reporter.com

Thousands of years ago, eclipses were something to fear.

Before astronomy was born and eclipses were fully understood, it was believed that when the sky would unexpectedly grow dark during the day, it was because the gods were enraged, the sun had been devoured by dragons, demons or wolves or it was a harbinger of death and destruction.

In the 21st century, eclipses are not an occasion to sprint for the hills or sacrifice a goat. Instead, for many, they’re an occasion to scramble for hotel reservations.

On April 8, the routine of a Monday afternoon is going to be interrupted for millions of people across North America when the moon passes between the Earth and sun in what has been dubbed the Great American Eclipse. It will extend all the way from the Mexican state of Sinaloa to the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, be the first total solar eclipse in North America since August 2017, and the last for 20 years.

The Pittsburgh region has not experienced many total solar eclipses. The last time it happened in this region was June 1451, and one is not on the horizon for the next couple hundred years. This time around, it is just outside the zone where the eclipse will be total – if you are in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the sky will get somewhat darker but not completely so, about 2 p.m. on April 8, according to Amanda Iwaniec, who directs visitor engagement at the Carnegie Science Center.

“It will be noticeable,” she said, adding that what makes this eclipse unique is that it covers such a wide range of territory and so many populated areas that are in or near the zone where the eclipse will be total. Some of the places in the totality zone are Erie, Buffalo, N.Y., Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio, and those cities are bracing themselves for a stampede of visitors and planning special events on the day of the eclipse and in the days leading up to it.

For instance, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is having a “Solarfest” weekend that will feature live music, trivia contests, education programs and more; in Erie, a festival will be happening at Lake Erie Speedway and a brewery will be having a party in its parking lot; and an abundance of watch parties are on tap in and around Buffalo. They are set at a ballpark, a drive-in theater and a vineyard, among many other locations.

Lucas County, Ohio, which includes Toledo, could end up seeing as many as 800,000 visitors on the day of the eclipse, according to Caleigh Heuring, director of marketing and communications for Destination Toledo, the city’s tourism agency. To put that in perspective, that’s twice the entire population of the whole county. Heuring explained that they are anticipating that most of the visitors will be trekking from parts of Indiana and Michigan where the eclipse will not be total.

That day in Toledo could well be described as “Eclipseapalooza.” Most school districts in the region have canceled classes for the day, a massive eclipse party is planned at the University of Toledo’s football stadium, the Toledo Zoo is hosting events and businesses are being asked to switch off automatic lights that might come on when the eclipse is total about 3:08 p.m.

“A lot of people are taking the day off, or working remotely or taking a half-day,” Heuring said.

And because the eclipse is later in the day, Heuring’s office is urging visitors to stay overnight so there is not a crush of people clogging roads and highways when it’s over.

“It truly is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Heuring said.

Laura Mitter agrees. That’s why the Mt. Morris resident is traveling to a family vacation spot on Lake Erie to celebrate her birthday on the day of the eclipse.

“We’re trying to plan some ritual to do for the eclipse,” Mitter said. “We want to do something special.”

Bayleigh McCullough, a 2021 graduate of Trinity High School, studies nursing at Niagara University in New York, and the campus is about a 10-minute drive from Niagara Falls. She and some friends are planning on watching the eclipse at the falls.

“It’s going to be a pretty big event,” she said.

The plans of Steven Pascoe are a little more fluid right now. A professional photographer and videographer in Washington, he is going to look at the forecast about three days before the eclipse, determine where in the totality zone there will be the least cloud cover and head there. He could end up as close as Erie or as far away as Indiana. Wherever his destination, he plans on photographing it and posting video to the internet.

“I’m going to play hide-and-seek with the weather,” Pascoe said. “It’s something I’ve never done, so it’s special in and of itself. But it’s also such a special astronomical event.”