Southeast Missouri shined brightly during solar eclipse

For months, Southeast Missourians had been planning for the April 8 solar eclipse.

In the coveted path of "totality", the region was set to receive visitors from near and far.

And, wow, did they show up!

Watch parties from Poplar Bluff to Perryville drew huge crowds. In Cape Girardeau, area residents and guests attended events at the Sportsplex, Southeast Missouri State University, riverfront and Fort D Historic Site. In Jackson, three sites hosted activities. Elsewhere, concerts and events abounded.

Our reporting staff found visitors from countries around the world and states across the Union.

A common thread among everyone we talked to was how much fun they were having, enjoying all the hospitality Southeast Missouri has to offer.

Kudos to all the groups who made those eclipse-related activities and events possible. Staff and volunteers with local chambers of commerce and visitors bureaus and organizations such as Old Town Cape and Visit Sikeston planned and executed well. Business people involved with restaurants, retail outlets, hotels and short-term rental properties rolled out welcoming red carpets to all. Our first responders were standing by for whatever came their way. And all of us served as individual ambassadors every time we gave directions or suggested a menu item or patiently waited out pedestrian and street traffic.

Aside from the positive eclipse-related economic activity of all our visitors — we look forward to numbers being available so we can quantify that boost — putting our best foot forward could benefit the region in the future as Southeast Missouri may well become a vacation destination for some of those who spent some time here from elsewhere but didn’t get to see everything on their itinerary.

The best part about the weekend leading up to the eclipse and the aftermath of everyone going home was that, even though there were thousands of extra people in the region, we didn’t receive one report of a problem.

Congratulations, Southeast Missouri. You were a star attraction.