SCIENCE

More than 100 parties, festivals, concerts will celebrate solar eclipse

Emily Bohatch Doyle Rice
USA TODAY
People look through eclipse viewing glasses, telescopes and cameras during an annular solar eclipse, on Sept. 1, 2016, in Saint-Louis, on the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion. Stargazers in south and central Africa were treated to a spectacular solar eclipse on Sept. 1, 2016 when the Moon wanders into view to make the Sun appear as a "ring of fire", astronomers say. The phenomenon, known as an annular solar eclipse, happens when there is a near-perfect alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun. But unlike a total eclipse, when the Sun is blacked out, sometimes the Moon is too far from Earth, and its apparent diameter too small, for complete coverage.

Party on! The solar eclipse is coming.

From Oregon to South Carolina, and in every state in between, more than 100 parties, festivals, concerts and events are scheduled before and during the eclipse Aug. 21. From Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore., to the Charleston Museum in South Carolina, there will be no shortage of places to celebrate the "Great American Eclipse."

Parties and events are even scheduled in some states that will only see a partial eclipse, which will be visible across all of North America. 

The Oregon SolarFest in Madras is a four-day festival and celebration, even though the total eclipse will be less than three minutes. However, event organizers say the town's 325 hotel rooms have been booked for over two years now. The 5,500 campsites there have also sold out.

Willamette University's eclipse viewing party will be a science geek’s dream come true. The Salem, Ore., university will have hundreds of scientists from the American Astronomical Society on hand to answer questions and perform demonstrations. The event is the culmination of a weekend of science activities and lectures, including a pub talk. 

 

The Anvil Hotel in Jackson Hole, Wyo., is hosting a viewing party in its parking lot. Starting at 9:30 a.m., the hotel will offer Moon Dust lattes and a Moon Flow yoga session. At noon, there will be a tailgate lunch with live music hosted by the on-site Italian restaurant Glorietta. Guests will receive special glasses, yoga mats and a time lapse video of the event.

If you’re looking to see the first eclipse in Missouri since 1869, the Capital Eclipse in Jefferson, Mo., might be the event for you. Jefferson is just one second short of the longest viewing time of the eclipse, and the three-day festival in downtown Jefferson hopes to highlight that.

Activities range from a fun run to pub crawls and street parties and a BBQ in Riverside Park during the eclipse itself.

Nebraskans will kick off a weekend of solar eclipse hype with a gala and an address from former astronaut Clayton Anderson. As part of SolFest 2017, the weekend of fun kicks off Friday night with beer, dinner and jazz and culminates with an eclipse viewing on the Nebraska prairie. Throughout the weekend, partiers will be able to enjoy a series of vendors, musical acts and art.

In Chicago, even though the city will only see a partial eclipse, the Godrey Hotel Chicago is having a viewing party at its rooftop lounge. Hotel Executive Chef Nathaniel Cayer will craft The Eclipse, a special frozen cocktail that goes from light to dark. The first 100 people to arrive will receive complimentary eclipse-viewing protective eyewear.

The Eclipse Aire Fest at the Amelia Earhart Airport in Atchison, Kan., will be offering plane rides throughout the day, including the moment of the eclipse. 

Eclipse viewers in Nashville, the largest city that's entirely in the path of the total eclipse, can head to First Tennessee Park to watch the historic event. Hosted by music city mayor Megan Barry, the city of Nashville and the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball team, the event will have science demonstrations and hands-on activities from the Adventure Science Center before the once-in-a-lifetime eclipse.  

And, of course, no Nashville event would be complete without music; the Nashville Symphony will be performing at the event. Those looking to hang around can even catch a Sounds game afterwards at 4:05 p.m.

Even New York City, also only seeing a partial eclipse with 71% of the sun covered by the moon, is getting into the eclipse action. Classic Harbor Line is ferrying people out into the harbor for views of the eclipse by the Statue of Liberty. 

Charleston, S.C., the last big city to see the eclipse, will have eclipse parties at museums and at a Charleston RiverDogs minor league baseball game. You can also go kayaking near Charleston during the eclipse.

Beachgoers on the Isle of Palms, S.C., will have the chance to catch the last glimpse of the Great American Eclipse. A DJ will be helping vacationers kick on the event on Front Beach. Educational and children’s events will take place across the city during the island-wide party.

Free eclipse glasses will be available at city hall, but you may want to order some ahead of time, just in case.

Contributing: Nancy Trejos, USA TODAY