by: Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
Indiana Capital Chonicle
The day after the August 2017 solar eclipse spanned the country, Ginger Murphy got a phone call. The Chicago-area caller wanted to reserve 40 rooms at a Hoosier state park lodge for an eclipse due to darken skies above Indiana nearly seven years later.
“I went, ‘Huh?’” said Murphy, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) deputy director for state parks. “At that point, we weren’t even thinking about it.”
But that’s changed.
State and local entities alike have since joined forces to pull out all the stops for an eclipse— featuring a staggering 4 minutes of totality— that could bring up to 600,000 people to Indiana.
States in the path of previous eclipses told Indiana officials they should expect the April 8 eclipse to be the “single largest tourist event to ever happen in the state,” said Amy Howell, the director of tourism, marketing and communications for the Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC).
Nearly every community within the path is planning events to mark the astronomical phenomenon.
And state park spots, hotels and short-term rentals are pretty much filled up.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, and completely blocks the face of the much larger sun. Hoosiers won’t be in another total solar eclipse’s path of totality until 2099.
State agencies for security, law enforcement, roads, natural resources and tourism began planning for the eclipse about two years ago, according to Howell.
In Bloomington, a solar eclipse committee with police, fire, business, university and other participants is overseeing a week of festivities: eclipse-themed trivia, glow-in-the-dark putt-putt, a showing of the space-related film Hidden Figures, and more.
Indiana is highlighting its DNR properties as prime viewing real estate for Hoosiers and others that live outside the path of totality. The path includes a whopping 54 state parks, nature preserves, reservoirs and more, according to Murphy.
It’s easier to see the eclipse in open spaces with fewer leafy trees, Murphy observed.
“There’s an effect that happens during … totality where it looks like you have a sunset all the way around, in a 360-degree circle. So an open space is a great spot to potentially see that,” she said.
But many parks in the path are already booked out, with visitors from 44 states and even Canada, according to Murphy. She said the four inns in the zone are full and so are cabins. Campgrounds at 16 properties are sold out, but those at another five locations are between 70% and 90% of capacity.
Gates for day-of visitors open at 7 a.m. and close when parking fills up, even to those on bikes or on foot — so get in early.
But to safely view the eclipse, purchase glasses or solar filters compliant with the ISO 12312-2 international standard, such as those produced by manufacturers on a list by the American Astrological Society. Looking without protection will cause serious eye injuries.
INDOT and Indiana State Police expect congestion and delays from the influx of eclipse visitors from midnight on April 7 to sunrise on April 9, could delay traffic.
Officials recommends that eclipse viewers fill up their gas tanks and pack plenty of snacks, water, first aid supplies and entertainment sources to ease long waits in parks or in traffic.