Southeast Missouri gearing up for April 8 eclipse

Celestial oddities seem magical, capturing attention like nothing else. The upcoming April 8 solar eclipse is no exception, especially since portions of Southeast Missouri fall in the “totality” zone, meaning directly under the aligned moon and sun.

Many entities and organizations in the region are planning celebratory events that day. Here are a few:

City of Cape Girardeau

VisitCape Solar Eclipse Watch Party — 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Cape Girardeau Sportsplex, 2526 Jim Drury Way; music, food vendors, children’s activities and giveaways. For more information, call (573) 335-1631 or visit visitcape.com/vc-events/visitcape-solar-eclipse-watch-party/.

Southeast Missouri State University

Watch party — 11 a.m., Normal Avenue on the SEMO campus; eclipse-themed games, inflatables, Student Organization Fair, food trucks, University Teach-In at Academic Auditorium at 10:30 a.m. featuring experts from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (Matt McSavaney, lead with Artemis Moon to Mars Program Office, and Blake Parker, payload operations specialist in developing procedures for International Space Station experiments). For more information, visit semo.edu/eclipse/.

Old Town Cape

Block Party — noon to 3 p.m., Cape Riverfront Market lot, 35 S. Spanish St.; live music from Spacers, food vendors, free viewing glasses. For more information, visit Facebook.com/events/2580350242126585.

Jackson

Citywide — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Uptown Jackson, Brookside Park (210 Veterans Memorial Drive), Jackson Civic Center (381 E. Deerwood Drive); music, food trucks, souvenirs. For more information, jacksonmo.org/CivicAlerts/aspx?AID=52.

Sikeston

Citywide — a number of events will be held the weekend before and leading to the eclipse on April 8; midnight pickleball event with glow-in-the-darks balls, Moonlight Madness shopping event, Sikeston Jaycee crawfish boil, music festival and Movie in the Park. For more information, visit sikeston.net/tourism or Sikeston Convention and Visitors Bureau Facebook page.

The Thursday, March 21, issue of the Southeast Missourian will include a special eclipse guide full of activities throughout the region.

Join us and our friends and neighbors in marking this exciting event.