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Out-of-Towners Enjoy 'Pitch Dark in the Ballpark'

Out-of-Towners Enjoy 'Pitch Dark in the Ballpark'
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By West Kentucky Star Staff
Aug. 21, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY
By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 21, 2017 | 03:49 PM | PADUCAH, KY
The 2-1/2 minutes of celestial beauty is over, but most people stopped whatever they were doing in western Kentucky and southern Illinois to watch the first total solar eclipse in the US since 1979. Some folks traveled here to see it.

More than 400 revelers gathered at Brooks Stadium in Paducah at "Pitch Dark in the Ball Park." A large majority of the crowd were visitors from the eastern half of the country. License plates in the parking lot testified to the mileage driven by skywatchers from Ohio, North Carolina, Delaware and New Jersey. A survey of families stretched out on blankets in the outfield revealed hometowns in the Chicago suburbs, Detroit, and even as far as deep woods Maine, where less than half of the sun was obstructed.

Almost everyone opted for the ubiquitous paper glasses, but a few brought along full welders helmets. An amateur photographer from San Angelo, Texas said he had inspected several viewing sites around the area, and decided that the location for him to get the best photos was Paducah's historic stadium, just behind second base.

Ben Hayslip came from Oklahoma City with his wife, Suzanne and daughters Lauren and Hannah. They joined hundreds of others who came to Pitch Dark in the Ballpark at historic Brooks Stadium. Ben said he chose Paducah specifically.

"You guys had the best weather forecast, you were in totality, and you were just about exactly between the greatest length of totality and the darkest spot of totality," Hayslip said. 

He said they spent the night in West Plains, MO, and had no traffic issues during the drive. 

Hayslip said it's his first eclipse and he hadn't spoken to anyone who ever saw one, so all he knew to expect is what he read about it.

The Gibson family came to western Kentucky from Jackson, Mississippi because their first choice was full.

"Nashville was completely booked up, and Paducah looked like a nice place. A little hometown - we're both from hometowns in Alabama, originally, so we wanted to come check out this place," Mr. Gibson said.

They are staying in Mayfield, but got to take a historical tour of downtown Paducah yesterday, and said they love the town.

"It's just like modern-day Mayberry, it's beautiful here!" Mrs. Gibson said. "It's just incredible, the cornfields, the people are so nice. It's wonderful here."

She said Paducah turned out to be a better place to view the eclipse anyway, since there was longer totality than Nashville. 

When reminded that another eclipse will pass over Paducah in 2024, she said, "we'll be back, we love it so much!"

After the sun started to come back out of the moon's shadow, two young men from Long Island, New York were also already making plans for the next eclipse.  When told that the 2024 eclipse would pass through their home state, they quipped that it would be worth the trip, even if they did have to spend time in Buffalo or Cleveland to experience it.

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