Top 10: Once-in-a-lifetime eclipse wows county

The vast majority of our top 10 articles typically concern issues with weeks of buildup and/or fallout.

Number 9 on this year’s list focuses on an event that lasted just six minutes: the total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024.

Of course, there has been some buildup. News sources widely reported the eclipse’s arrival and that it would plunge the northern half of Vermont into an extremely rare supernatural darkness between approximately 3:25 p.m. and 3:31 p.m. on April 8. Plus, most people were keeping an eye out for the eclipse. weather forecast to see if there would be cloud cover at that time.

About 160,000 visitors entered Vermont to view the eclipse.

But if you lived in most areas of Addison County, all you had to do was make sure you had your special prescription glasses and a chair set up in your backyard.

Still, many Addison County residents sought to share the experience with their friends and neighbors. Entire neighborhoods held watch parties or gathered at events hosted by cities, nonprofits and entertainment organizations.

Dozens of people set up folding chairs and blankets at Middlebury’s Recreation Park, Triangle Park, the banks of Otter Creek at Marble Works, College Park, the Middlebury College campus and even the South Main Street Cemetery .

In Bristol, they converged on the city park and leisure park. This is where Bristol Cub Scout Troop 453, led by Greg Grover, staged an educational and practical dynamic for the occasion: Grover asked each scout to hold a large colored bouncing ball, representing the sun or the one of the eight planets of the solar system. . At one point, the young began spinning and circling the sun to mimic the dynamics of the solar system.

People from the Vergennes area watched from the Bixby Library and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.

In Starksboro, they had an Eclipse party behind Robinson Elementary School. Firefighters and auxiliaries sold hot dogs and snacks, and people brought many kinds of homemade eclipse-themed desserts. Local musician Patrick Melvin hosted the show. At least 200 people came, mostly from Starksboro, but some came from neighboring states.

Monkton saw dozens of people gathering behind the municipal office/library, where they were lounging on the lawn and enjoying each other’s company.

Those who wanted a more solitary experience simply parked in a parking lot or on the side of the road, put on their glasses, and waited.

Enthusiastic discussions echoed throughout the county as the sun and moon crossed paths. Interspersed with exclamations are the hasty shutter releases of specially equipped cameras, enlisted to immortalize the event.

Fortunately, Mother Nature cooperated with clear skies, which gradually darkened. For a while, it was “night” when most of the children were normally home from school. Some observers rushed to their vehicles to grab sweaters or jackets as the sun’s rays became dimmer. Wide exclamations of “Oooohh” and “Aaaahh” rang out to the sky in recognition of this rare celestial sight.

Once the show ended, the mass exodus began. Traffic on Routes 116, 7, 22A, 30 and other major thoroughfares headed south as visiting eclipse viewers excited the county. They left with memories they will cherish for the rest of their lives.