The total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 provided a unique opportunity for residents of Todd County.  They had a “front row seat” to witness a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event without leaving their backyards.  Since Todd County was bisected by the eclipse centerline; the entire county experienced a total eclipse duration of at least 2 minutes and 30 seconds--there were no bad viewing locations anywhere in the county.

     Local residents had known for a couple of years that the eclipse was coming, but most hadn’t given much thought as to how they were going to watch it.  In late spring, eclipse glasses started becoming available at some local businesses, but there wasn’t much information being circulated about how to safely use the glasses and/or otherwise view the event.       

     In June I began an effort to get eclipse glasses and eclipse safety information into the hands of folks who might not have ready access to them.  I concentrated on three main groups:  (1) Spanish-speaking H2-A farm workers here to work in the 2017 tobacco crop, (2) Todd County farm families, and (3) residents of Pennyrile Village in Guthrie. 

     I bought 700 pairs of safety-certified solar eclipse viewing glasses to distribute.  I also put together a factsheet of eclipse viewing information, with the primary focus on using the eclipse glasses safely.  The factsheet’s front page was NASA’s Safety Pub 508 (How to View the 2017 Solar Eclipse Safely) which was available online in English and Spanish.  On the reverse side I printed specific solar eclipse glasses instructions and warnings, along with a timetable of eclipse stages as they would be seen here in Todd County.  I had this information translated into Spanish so that we had English and Spanish-language factsheets with exactly the same information.

     Altogether I distributed about 680 pairs of eclipse glasses and 735 eclipse safety fact sheets.  About four hundred pairs of the glasses and factsheets went to Spanish-speaking H2-A farm workers to enable them to view the eclipse safely.  Due to their language barrier and transportation limitations, they probably knew less about the eclipse and had less opportunity to prepare for the eclipse than anyone else in the community.  I delivered many of their glasses and factsheets to their farms, and the tobacco growers came to our office to pick up the rest. 

     Many of the migrant workers were working outside during the eclipse, where they were able to stop every few minutes and put on their eclipse glasses to look at the eclipse progress.  Some farmers gave their H2-A crews time off during the 3-hour period when the eclipse was occurring, and at least one tobacco crew had an eclipse barbeque.  All of the farmers that I have interviewed said their workers had good eclipse viewing experiences, and were grateful for the eclipse glasses and viewing information.  Everyone got to see the total eclipse and no one sustained any sun-related eye injuries.     

     Ninety-five pairs of solar glasses were distributed at the Todd County Housing Authority’s Pennyrile Village.  I conducted classes on safe eclipse viewing for Village residents, with a special focus on keeping children safe during the event.  I also discussed things to watch for during the eclipse, such as the eclipse stages (diamond ring, Bailey’s Beads, etc.), and external phenomenon that occur during the eclipse (such as dusky pink/red sky coloration during totality, nighttime insect and animal behavior, etc.)  A major emphasis for this audience was making sure that children were properly supervised during the eclipse.  The manager at Pennyrile Village said that the eclipse viewing went well, with most residents participating.  Again, everyone got to personally experience the eclipse and no one sustained any sun-related eye injuries.

     In addition to the Pennyrile Village residents and the H2-A workers, nearly 200 farm family members and other citizens were able to safely enjoy watching the eclipse with glasses/factsheets provided through the Extension Office.  The Spanish language factsheet was also shared with some other western Kentucky Extension agents for them to utilize with Hispanic audiences in their counties.