The solar eclipse peaked at about 2:20 this afternoon in the Michiana area. About 150 people gathered in downtown Elkhart to witness the event. The Elkhart Public Library hosted a viewing party, where the public was welcome to join and watch live coverage of the eclipse on a jumbotron.
It’s been 38 years since the last eclipse. Kids and adults gathered at Central Park to witness what many called a “once in a lifetime event.”
While special eclipse sunglasses were the go-to eye protection, some residents, like Peggy Bloczynski opted for pinhole boxes to watch the moon move across the sun.
“It’s a sugar pops box and I went online, followed the instructions and I’ve been able to watch the eclipse so far.”
Cocheta Manion from Elkhart says it's important for her kids to know about the physical world, but she says that the eclipse is more than that.
“And I think that it’s more than science, I think it’s spiritual as well, and I want them to experience something this special.
Manion’s 8-year-old Tessa, attended the event with her siblings. She said she had been taught about the eclipse at her school Oslo elementary. When the eclipse was over, she said it wasn’t what she expected, but overall…
“It was pretty cool,” she said, “I saw like there was sliver of it at the last of it.”
Tessa says she would definitely watch another eclipse. The next eclipse is expected to occur in 2024, this time traveling from Texas through Maine.