A history-making event will occur next Monday, April 8 as Dublin is expected to get one minute and 19 seconds of complete darkness in the solar eclipse.
For those interested in seeing the eclipse, a partial eclipse will begin at 12:19 p.m., totality will occur at 1:28 p.m. and the partial eclipse will end at 2:59 p.m.
Several events are scheduled both in Dublin and in Erath County.
The Dublin Public Library and the Dublin Historical Societyarepartneringtogether to donate eclipse glasses (with assistance from Dublin EDC). The day of the eclipse, Dubliners are invited to participate in the historymaking event by stopping by the library or the museum starting at 11 a.m. April 8 to get glasses.
Dublin ISD will also be having classes that day so teachers can have the experience of watching the eclipse with their students and completing science-themed lessons based around the eclipse.
“The staff at DISD is excited about experiencing the solar eclipse event with our students in a safe environment. We haveorderedtherecommended safety glasses for all students and parent permission slips will go home for students to be allowed to participate,” Dublin ISD Superintendent Melissa Summers said. “If any parent does not want their child to go outside for viewing, then they will have the opportunity to watch it digitally inside the building. We have several exciting, educational activities planned and home to make this a memorable event!”
Veldhuizen Cheese is also hosting an Eclipse on the Farm event from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, April 8.
Admission is $10 per person and $5 per kid with eclipse glasses included.
The farm has plenty of space to spread out and picnic blankets and lawn chairs are included.
There will be an open mic and live music from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. with a petting corral set up for kids.
The cheese shoppe will be open for sampling and purchases and they will be selling cheese plates.
Veldhuizen is located at 3364 CR 299 in Dublin.
On April 8, Memorial Stadium at Tarleton State University will host a viewing of the solar eclipse from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public, with seating restricted to the stands. No field access will be available.
“The last time Texas saw a total solar eclipse was 1878,” said event organizer Lindsay Hope, Manager of Licensing and Trademarks at Tarleton State. “This is truly a rare event that shouldn’t be missed. We are thrilled to open up the stands at Memorial Stadium for people to get the best view possible. We plan to stream a telescope live onto the big screen—it will be an amazing sight.”
Additionally, the College of Science and Mathematics (COSM) will have information tables and demonstrations set up.
The eclipse is expected to bring additional traffic and people into Erath County, which could impact roadways.
“We are anticipating about what we would see from a large scale football game or the Larry Joe Taylor concert,” Erath County Emergency Manager Chris Brooks said.
Brooks said large scale infrastructure and technology issues are not anticipated.
“Emergency services have been preparing in case there are additional calls,” he said. “We’ve been keeping in close contact with the surrounding counties who are expecting even more people in case they need assistance with an emergency.”
For Erath County, in Stephenville especially, the biggest anticipated issue is an increase in traffic.
“You add something like this and you get a small wreck on Washington and it could drastically impede the flow of traffic,” he said.
Before and during the eclipse, Brooks advised drivers not to stop in the roadway and to get somewhere safe before the eclipse begins.
“Remember this is a work day for people and they need to be able to travel,” he said.
Brooks also advised people to be aware of their surroundings when parking since warm weather does bring out snakes.
“We will be monitoring the weather closely in case severe weather does end up being forecast for the day,” he said.
To aid in the traffic anticipated in the eclipse pathway throughout the state, TxDOT has prohibited oversized loads and special permittedloadsfrommidnight to midnight on April 8 in many counties including Erath.
This decision was made due to wide loads impacting roads with already anticipated severe traffic delays from eclipse traffic.