Community takes part in historical solar eclipse

     It’s been 99 years since the last total solar eclipse crossed the United States from the West Coast to the East Coast.

     On Aug. 21, the Midwest, or Iowa to be specific, meteorologists anticipated that the moon would cover 87-96 percent the sun during the peak totality time, roughly 1:12 p.m. Partial totality, meaning the time before and after the moon completely covered the sun, began in Eastern Iowa around 11:45 a.m. The eclipse was expected to end in Iowa around 2:36 p.m.

     In Monticello, both the Monticello Public Library and Jones County Extension and Outreach offered programming for people of all ages to take part to commemorate the special, once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

     The library passed out free solar eclipse glasses, two per person, beginning at 11 a.m. Doors to the Community Building opened at 11 a.m., where 40 people or so were already waiting in line. Within 10 minutes, 60 people had already come through the doors.

     Once they had their glasses in hand, people headed into the library for snacks and crafts based on the solar eclipse theme. The library also offered a live stream of the solar eclipse from across the country.

     The Extension office brought in 30 youth to take part in several activities, which included homemade solar eclipse-viewing boxes. Due to the cloud cover, they improvised using a high-powered utility light. Kids also made homemade solar ovens and set them outside to bake S’mores.

     The next solar eclipse will take place April 8, 2024. It will begin in Mexico, travel through Texas and head to Maine. The closest it will reach the Midwest is through the southern tip of Illinois.