KENTON, Ohio — The total solar eclipse is now only a week away, and cities in the path of totality are preparing for the big day, getting ready for thousands of guests.
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One of those cities is Kenton, in Ohio's Hardin County, which is directly in the line of totality. So WTOL 11 visited Kenton to see what this level of preparation looks like and what kinds of challenges it might present.
Three minutes and 55 seconds. That's how long Kenton is going to be shrouded in darkness on April 8, bringing in thousands of people to the area.
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But thousands of people means a lot more responsibility for city leaders, who are used to a population of 8,000.
"Looking at smaller communities when this occurred in 2017, their predictions were pretty spot on. They had a massive 100,000-plus people converging on smaller communities like this," Kenton's chief of police, Dennis Musser, said. "So we're bracing for that."
So, how do you prepare for more people than your city has ever seen in a lifetime?
That's the question Kenton's city leaders have been asking for years, well aware that whether they want it or not, they have one of the best seats in the country for the solar eclipse.
"I guess it's always been on our radar since 2020, we really got wind that we're near ground zero," Kenton Mayor Lynn Webb said.
Webb said the last few years they've been coming up with a battle plan with the help of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency and the Hardin County Sheriff's Office, working to make sure that the visitors are kept to main highways (US-68 for north-south travel and Ohio-309 and Ohio-67 for east-west travel,) and picking wide open spaces as designated viewing areas.
"Our fairgrounds are a viewing area, 68 North has a wonderful drive-in that's doing a great viewing area," Webb said.
But no matter what, these leaders say crowds that large will come with their fair share of challenges.
Right now, a good portion of Kenton's main street is shut down due to construction, already slowing traffic during a normal day.
Musser said now, imagine what that will look like when thousands of cars are all ready to leave.
"Based on what we've seen in other areas, it looks like they may leave all at once," Musser said. "So it may be a challenge to get the traffic flow moving."
For the 8,000 people who call Kenton home, Webb says there's likely a mix of excitement and anxiety, it will make life around town little more difficult for a day or two, then again, this might be one hassle that's worth all the trouble.
"Maybe stay off the roads if you don't want to be a part of it," Webb said. "But it could be a pretty cool phenomenon."
The total solar eclipse is next Monday, April 8, and you're not going to want to miss it, because we won't see another one here in Ohio until 2099.