Photo by: Clare Grant/Courier Journal

Solar Eclipse in McCracken County

By : Mary Dossett, Agent for Horticulture 

A solar eclipse is when the sun is obscured by the moon. This event is a once in a lifetime event for many people. Back when I started as the Horticulture Assistant in 2021, I wrote an article, ‘Unusual Happenings’ on the solar eclipse and the Brood 19- Cicada Emergence. Fast forward to September 2023 as the Horticulture Agent, I started hearing more about the solar eclipse and how Paducah, Kentucky was going to get 100% totality. I started reaching more about the solar eclipse and I wanted to come up with a way to involve the community and be able to reach a diverse audience. After many months of planning, the morning of the eclipse was finally here. We had two food trucks, Yani’s BBQ and The Coney Express, 4-H sold snow cones, popcorn, and t-shirts as a fundraiser, McCracken County Civic Beautification Board gave away trees, 4-H Rocket Club sold Eclipse ornaments and magnets, we had a bouncy slide for kids, music, and yard games. When people arrived at our office, we had two stations set up, one for sign-in and one to collect your eclipse glasses. I had ordered a limited number of glasses, luckily, we did not run out. I assigned staff at our office to different jobs to make sure all areas were covered. These jobs included traffic control, sign-in table, handing out eclipse glasses, kids’ area, snow cone/popcorn stand, rocket club booth, trash, and cover front office. I advertised for this event by Facebook, The Vue magazine, WPSD-TV website (https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/2024-total-solar-eclipse-local-events/article_21aea75e-c6b4-11ee-a168-1f63a6af73ae.html), tv interview by WKRN in Nashville, TN, Courier Journal in Lousiville (https://www.courier-journal.com/picture-gallery/news/2024/04/08/eclipse-2024-see-images-of-the-total-solar-eclipse-in-louisville/73165132007/ ) , and in our department newsletters. The outcome of the event was a huge success. We had 272 people attend our event. I also made notes of the different license plates of the vehicles that were present at the Extension Office for the Event. The states were Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Maryland, Minnesota, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, California, and even a family from Germany. Everyone that attended had a wonderful time and left our office smiling and they were all so thankful we hosted the event. Both food trucks told me they sold out of all their food, so they were beyond grateful. I am thrilled that the event I planned was a major success and brought a whole new audience to The McCracken County Extension Service.