OREGON, Ohio — The total solar eclipse - now just three days away - is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the city of Oregon is inviting the community to celebrate with them during an April 8 event, "Blackout on the Bay".
The event will be held from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., ending shortly after totality, at the city's Recreational Soccer Field Park. The event will include refreshments, hot dogs, eclipse viewing glasses and music from a DJ. Glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces will also be provided by the city to illuminate the park when totality occurs.
The park's location, 5401 Starr Ave. Extension, will see 2 minutes and 14 seconds of totality, when the moon passes in front of the sun and obscures it completely. During that time, you can take off your eclipse glasses.
The partial eclipse - when the moon first "touches" the sun, will begin at 1:57 p.m., while totality will begin at 3:12 p.m. and end at 3:14 p.m.
A city of Oregon representative said the location was created for large community gatherings and they believe the comfort from their park will be unmatched.
"Our location is open, and you're not going to have people bumping shoulders and breathing down your neck," said Henry Fox, the city's Recreational Program Director. "We are going to have ample parking out there. So logistically I believe our location might be a little bit more favorable than others. I think that's the most favorable features of our event; it's basically where it's located the grounds and the space we have to provide."
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Oregon city officials said they expect to see hundreds if not thousands of people in their area, so they are urging the public to prepare ahead of time.
"If people are out in traffic and they decide to stop and watch this on the fly, we are going to get grid locked, and that's probably the biggest issue that police and emergency responders are looking at as something they will have to anticipate. I would say get there early and plan on not rushing out of there," Fox said.
People of all ages and from all areas are encouraged to attend, but pets are not allowed at the park.
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