Eclipse viewing in Gainesville
The Ozark County Times office was closed for a few hours Monday afternoon so staff could sit behind the office and enjoy the total solar eclipse. Pictured, from left, are: Times Publisher and Ad Manager Jenny Yarger, her daughter Ezra and husband Zack, Graphic Artist and Office Manager Regina Mozingo, Owner Norene Prososki and Editor Jessi Dreckman. Times photo/Jenny Yarger
Many Ozark Countians and thousands of others from across the globe traveled into the path of totality for Monday’s total solar eclipse, one of the most highly anticipated events of 2024.
Gainesville was one of the lucky communities in the path of totality, and if the lines of traffic on the main highways were any indication, the area received lots of visitors. One reader told the Times that they met than 300 vehicles on the 30-mile stretch on Highway 5 between Gainesville and Ava Monday morning. Another said she counted 99 cars heading east toward West Plains from the junction of Miller’s Kountry Store and the junction of Highways 160 and 181, a distance that is just under 10 miles. Many of the vehicles were likely heading toward West Plains, where the city put on a four-day “Party in the Path” party; however, many of Gainesville-area public places, like the Tecumseh access at Lake Norfork and the Hoerman Memorial Park in Gainesville, were lined with parked cars and viewers. Others hosted eclipse viewing parties at their homes or watched from work.
In Gainesville, the solar eclipse lasted a little over two and a half hours with a brilliant one minute 38 seconds of totality, a period of time when almost the entirety of the sun was covered by the moon, leaving only a vibrant circle of the sun’s light or corona. During the period of totality, viewers were able to take off their safety eclipse-viewing glasses and view the phenomenon with the naked eye without damage to their eyes.
The Ozark County Times office and several other businesses and offices in Gainesville closed for the duration of the eclipse, allowing workers to view it during the work day.
From behind the Times office, staff members got a full view of the spectacle and noticed that several street lights automatically turned on during the darkest portion of the event, and the temperature noticeably dropped several degrees. Other community members noted that as the sky darkened, katydids began sounding off, roosters were crowing and shadows turned into crescent shapes.
Gainesville and Thornfield Schools were in session and made arrangements for student viewing.
The next total solar eclipse in the contiguous United States will be Aug. 22, 2044, and will only reach Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota; however, on August 12, 2045, a large swath of Arkansas is in the path of totality.