Jackson at heart of solar eclipse festivities

Two very important things happened Monday, April 8, in Jackson.

The sky turned dark for more than four minutes in the middle of the afternoon.

And there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

That combination made Jackson a very popular place to be.

Thousands of people descended on Cape Girardeau County’s seat Monday to enjoy the total solar eclipse. The city hosted three locations for viewing: one in uptown Jackson, another in City Park and the third at Brookside Park. Food trucks were set up to deliver food. Several vendors sold glasses and T-shirts. Live music played on speakers. Children played catch. Some dipped their toes into Hubble Creek. Two Jackson Junior High Science Club students, Jaya Gremmels and Xavier Williams, dressed up as a moon and sun to add jovial interest to the celestial ambiance near the courthouse.

The moon and the sun served as the day’s celebrities, when the moon blocked the sun and the sky turned dark at around 1:58 p.m. Hundreds had their cameras and telescopes pointing to the sky. Jackson was on the center line of the eclipse’s path, meaning it, along with several places on a northeasterly line through the U.S. from Texas to Maine, had the longest period of darkness.

Bill Wachspress of Lawrence, Kansas, waits for the eclipse with his telescopes during the eclipse celebration Monday, April 8, in uptown Jackson. Wachspress works for an observatory at University.Bob Miller ~ bmiller@semissourian.com

The Southeast Missourian caught up with several people who made the trip to Jackson to watch the spectacle. Nearly all of them mentioned that the sunny sky forecast was one of the reasons for choosing it. Here are a few who made the trip to view the eclipse in Jackson:

Dough Mackenzie, St. Augustine, Florida. MacKenzie is a professional photographer who has had his work appear in National Geographic. He set up three lenses at the Cape Girardeau County historic courthouse, hoping to capture some of the building’s dome in his image of the eclipse. He said he chose the location because it was the highest point in town. Mackenzie was born and raised in Kirkwood and made the trip to see the eclipse in conjunction with reuniting with some friends. His friends suggested Jackson would be a good place to see the eclipse.

Joe and Bonnie Belaj, High Point, North Carolina. They drove 640 miles to arrive into town.

Bill Wachspress, Lawrence, Kansas. Wachspress set up his telescopes on High Street in uptown Jackson to capture images for his job. Wachspress runs an observatory for Baker University in Lawrence. He said it was his second total eclipse to capture, with 2017 being his first. He said Jackson was a good spot for him because of the weather outlook free of clouds, or at least a good chance for that, as well as the proximity to Kansas.

Dave Samsel of Morristown, Tennessee, talks with Dean Westerhaus of Minnesota while waiting for the eclipse Monday, April 8, at Jackson City Park. Samsel brought his telescope, a wedding gift he bought nearly 50 years ago, to view the eclipse.Bob Miller ~ bmiller@semissourian.com

Dave Samsel, Morristown, Tennessee. Samsel made his way into City Park with an 8-inch telescope called the Celestron. It was somewhat of a wedding gift he acquired nearly 50 years ago. He calls himself an amateur astronomer.

Dean, Tammy and Cassie Westerhouse, Minnesota. The Westerhouse family drove nine hours from Minnesota into St. Louis over the weekend, then made the drive from St. Louis to arrive in Jackson City Park on Monday morning. When asked why they would drive so far to see this event, Tammy simply held her hands out and said, emphatically, “Dude!” Her husband added that it’s a rare event and he may not be around the next time a total solar eclipse happens in the U.S. They added they put together quite a celestial playlist they enjoyed on the drive down.

Joe Ziha, St. Louis. Ziha, whose father taught him the virtues of science having worked on NASA projects, brought a sophisticated telescope setup that required two car batteries to keep it charged and operating. Ziha was inspired and amazed by the eclipse in 2017. His 93-year-old mother died that day, and he used some of his inheritance to buy his telescope, which reminds him fondly of his parents. Ziha arrived at Brookside Park at 1:30 a.m. to get everything set up. He is part of the Astronomical Society of Eastern Missouri, and pooled some money together with others to install telescopes at Dark Sky New Mexico, at a “telescope ranch”. Some of his work may be seen at astroimages.space.

Nick Durben, San Diego. Durben said he was in town after visiting friends in St. Louis. He brought his own telescope and set up his equipment near the veterans memorial at Brookside Park. He added that city and civic leaders did a great job providing good locations for astronomers to view and record the eclipse.

Nick Durben of San Diego sets up his telescope Monday, April 8, at Brookside Park in Jackson while waiting for the total eclipse.Bob Miller ~ bmiller@semissourian.com