RICHMOND, Ind. — Hundreds of thousands of people will soon be traveling to the Hoosier state for the Total Solar Eclipse, something that has not happened here in more than 800 years, and the city of Richmond is preparing for the big day.
“I want to welcome everyone to Richmond and Wayne County, Indiana,” said Jim Resh.
Resh has called Wayne County home since 1940, and now he’s about to experience a once-of-a-lifetime event in his hometown with people from all over the country.
“I want to be in the open and see the eclipse so I can always remember it,” he said.
In less than two months 50,000 people will be heading to Wayne County, according to Nancy Sartain, Director of Leisure Marketing with the Richmond-Wayne County Convention & Tourism Bureau.
“We have people coming in from California, Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, and, of course, Kentucky and Michigan and Maryland too, and those are just the people that call our office and we talk to,” Sartain said. “There are many more coming.”
The Total Solar Eclipse may not be happening until April 8, but there will be plenty of events leading up to the big day including a celebration this Friday.
“We wanted to do a celebration and get our community involved and enlighten them on what’s going on,” Sartain said. It’s just to get people engaged, energized, and excited about the event.”
On the weekend of the eclipse, there is already a lot planned throughout the county. This includes live entertainment and performances, educational activities and astronomy sessions, camping under the stars, parades, fireworks and more.
“This is going to be the biggest thing that has ever happened to Richmond and Wayne County, so we are going all out,” Sartain said.
And on the day of the eclipse, there will be several watch party sites throughout the county including at the fairgrounds and on IU East’s campus.
“We are excited and we are out to have a good time,” Sartain said. “We have a lot of events going on and we just want people to come and enjoy themselves.”
As the countdown continues, Resh said he’s ready to welcome a whole new crowd of people to his hometown.
“Hopefully people will enjoy it,” he said. “Come to Centerville, Richmond, Cambridge City, Hagerstown, here in Wayne County, Indiana. You are always welcome.”
This Friday is the kick-off celebration for the upcoming eclipse at the Old National Road Welcome Center in Richmond. The first 100 people get a free pair of eclipse glasses.
For more details, click here. For more details about all of the events leading up to the eclipse in Wayne County, click here. Finally, for a list of viewing locations in Wayne County on the day of the eclipse, click here.
