NEK towns preparing for eclipse visitors

In less than a week, people in northeast Kansas — including northern Jackson County — will have access to what, for many, will be a once-in-a-lifetime event: a total solar eclipse.

Northeastern Kansas is gearing up for Monday’s event, the first coast-to-coast solar eclipse in nearly 100 years. Parts of Jackson County — north and east of Holton — will be located in the 67-miles-wide area of totality, where the sun will be totally obscured by the moon, creating a brief, night-like atmosphere at about 1 p.m.

Other parts of northeast Kansas are preparing for an onslaught of eclipse fans, and the amount of traffic expected in those areas — particularly in Atchison County, where most schools are closed for the day, and in Brown County, which is located along the center line of totality — has law enforcement officials urging caution.

Some of that traffic is expected to come through Jackson County, where Holton USD 336 school board member and astronomer Mike Ford said about 3,000 people are expected to stop and watch the eclipse.

In the meantime, area residents are looking for special “eclipse glasses” that will allow them to view the solar eclipse just as it happens, even if they are outside the path of totality. Without the glasses, and outside the path of totality, looking at the sun is strongly discouraged, but within the path of totality, there’s a brief window when people can look directly at the eclipsed sun.

Several businesses in the Holton area had offered special eclipse-viewing glasses for sale in recent weeks, but those businesses have completely sold out of the glasses, it was reported.

It was also noted that Ford has purchased eclipse glasses for all students in the Holton district, Royal Valley superintendent Aaric Davis purchased glasses for all students in his district, and Jackson Heights superintendent and elementary principal Adrianne Walsh said glasses have been purchased for all of her district’s students and staff.

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