With the total solar eclipse rapidly approaching, organizations in Centralia are finalizing plans to promote the community during the event and handle the expected influx of traffic.
Centralia sits inside the zone of totality for the April 8 eclipse. Marcus Holland, director of the Greater Centralia Chamber of Commerce, says the eclipse marks a unique opportunity for the city, so the chamber has created a resource to help visitors explore Centralia while they’re in town.
“Centralia is located in a great spot that people can come from the St. Louis area or even Springfield, and we’re one of the closest spots that they can view the eclipse. So we may have an influx of thousands of people in our community to just enjoy what we have to offer, so to make sure that the restaurants are open on a Monday and to make sure that we have a clear destination where they can view the eclipse safely. So we have created a map, it is on our website, that has the restaurants that are open and where to view the eclipse.”
The map of open restaurants and list of eclipse viewing sites in Centralia can be found at centraliachamber.com or at the website illinoissee.org.
Centralia Chamber officials met with representatives from the City of Centralia and the Centralia Regional Library last week. Derek Sherman, economic development director for the City of Centralia, reports that ESDA and the city’s police and fire departments say they are preparedto handle the anticipated surge in traffic on eclipse day. He also says the city will be conducting a cleanup of Fairview Park prior to the eclipse.
Taking part in the meeting virtually were staff from Greenville’s chamber of commerce and library. Those organizations are promoting activities in the days leading up to the eclipse in Greenville, which sits just outside the zone of totality, and are encouraging people to visit Centralia on the day of the event. As a result of that collaboration, Holland says an expert in the field of astronomy will be at the Centralia Regional Library on eclipse day to provide information as the phenomenon takes place.
“Astronomer Mubdi Rahman is from Toronto. He has family in Greenville, and so he was going to come down for the eclipse, and the Greenville library started working with the Centralia library, and from that we now have this big event where they are going to ask people to stay in Greenville and come to Centralia for the eclipse. He will be here in Centralia as an educated astronomer. He owns a research firm, so he knows a lot of this, what we are expecting with the eclipse, and so he will walk us through on the day of, at the Centralia Regional Library, each phase of the eclipse.”
In addition to hosting Rahman, the Centralia Regional Library has a number of other activities planned during its eclipse viewing party, which will run from noon to 4 p.m. on April 8. These activities will include games, art projects and pinhole viewer crafting. The library will also hand out solar eclipse viewing glasses until supplies run out. In the event of overcast weather, an eclipse livestream viewing will be held in the library’s Monken Activity Room.
