Henderson is a small, quaint town in western Kentucky nestled between the Ohio River and John James Audubon State Park. Sometimes the L&N rail line silences the sounds of nature, but life here is quiet and runs at a slower pace. On Monday, April 8, however, the city’s population of about 30,000 is expected to more than double.
"We expect about 80,000 people coming in for this eclipse," said Abby Dixon, Executive Director of the Henderson Tourist Commission. She and other community leaders have spent the better part of two years preparing for an event that will last two-and-a-half minutes.
Kentucky is one of 15 states from Texas to Maine that will see a total solar eclipse. Henderson is in the path of totality, which means viewers in the area will experience the maximum amount of coverage as the moon passes between the Earth and Sun, completely blocking the face of the Sun.
Visitors from all over the world are staking out their viewing spots. Boucherie Winery in the Henderson County town of Spottsville will open its grounds to eclipse chasers.
"All of this will be open to come and sit," explained Brandy Boucherie as she walked through the vineyard. "We have a couple of people coming from as far as Georgia and Mississippi."
Three generations of the Boucherie family run the 130 acre winery. On April 8, its rolling green hills will be dotted with lawn chairs and blankets.
"I’ll never see another one in my lifetime, at least not in Henderson, so it’s pretty special to think about," Boucherie said.
Second total eclipse to impact the region over past seven years
When Hopkinsville was in the path of totality during the 2017 eclipse, the Christian County town had spectators from 47 states and 25 countries, including Russia and Tanzania. Recent hotel occupancy in Henderson was around 80%. Cabins and campsites at the local state park sold out six months ago, and there’s no vacancy at the historic L&N Bed and Breakfast.
“We started booking eight months ago," innkeeper Greg Gibson told WKU Public Radio. "Before we even realized the eclipse was coming, people were wanting rooms and we hadn’t even adjusted our rates to bump them up a little bit for the eclipse, so they got a bargain.”
The four-bedroom home adjacent to the railroad with stained glass windows and Victorian furniture is one of many Henderson businesses excited for what the eclipse means for the local economy.
“It’s gonna blow it out the roof, that one day with all those people here and our quaint little town, it’s gonna blow it up," Gibson said.
Henderson mirrors the population of Hopkinsville, the epi-center of the 2017 eclipse. Local officials in Hopkinsville say they saw an economic impact of around $28 million.
Ellis Park Racing in Henderson is hosting Track the Eclipse, a watch party with games, food trucks, and unobstructed views.
And what’s a cosmic celebration without libations? Henderson Brewing Company is cashing in on the eclipse with a limited-edition beer.
A pharmacist by day, Doug Laramie uses his science background to develop craft beers as head brewer at Henderson Brewing Company. His latest creation is a blonde stout called “2:02pm.” That’s the exact time totality will start in Henderson.
"It’s very distinct. It’s very light in color, not your typical color for a stout. But it does have coffee and chocolate nibs in it, so you get those flavors, but without the look of a stout," Laramie explained. "It’s kind of deceptive in the way it looks versus the way its tastes. I tell people to prepare to be perplexed.”
The same may be true for eclipse gazers on April 8.
Evansville is also preparing to be eclipsed
Kentucky has hosted two once-in-a-lifetime celestial events since 2017, but will share the experience this time with neighboring Indiana. For the Hoosier state, it’s a couple of centuries since the last total eclipse.
“It was in the 1800s and documented in the Indiana University school paper," said Alexis Berggren, who leads Explore Evansville, the local tourism agency. Like Henderson, Evansville is expected to receive up to 80,000 visitors, providing a projected economic impact of $7.7 million.
“We know we don’t have the longest amount of totality in Indiana, so if you’re a true, passionate eclipse chaser, we don’t expect you to watch the eclipse in Evansville, but you’ll probably stop here to eat, stay in one our hotels, buy gas," Berggren said. "So we’ve been reaching out to the community to get family and friends here to watch with them.”
“I have some friends coming from Michigan to join us here, said Easton Bullock. "We’ve got some couch crashers. Hopefully, it'll be a good time."
Bullock is a manager at River City Coffee and Goods where excitement is brewing for Evansville’s expected three minutes and two seconds of totality. The coffee shop is selling eclipse glasses, bandanas, and t-shirts. Bullock is also planning a special eclipse drink.
“I’m still working on it, but there’s gonna be something special," Bullock told WKU Public Radio. "We just started offering mocktails, so I want to do some kind of mocktail that’s eclipse-inspired.”
The 6th Street Soapery is offering an eclipse-themed soap, and a special beer is on tap at Evansville’s Myriad Brewery.
There won’t be another U.S. eclipse, spanning coast to coast, until 2045. That’s why educators are stressing why the upcoming event is so special.
“This is really something that’s a touchstone for people, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity they can see locally in their own backyard," said Carlisle Wishard, Director of Science Experiences with the Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science.
Preparing for the (temporary) darkness
“I want everybody to let their eyes adjust a little bit and start looking up there at the sky," Wishard said, as she dimmed the lights for a live planetarium show last month.
She narrated as guests watched a time-lapsed video for the path of the eclipse on April 8.
“We see a black blob moving up, creeping across Mexico, moving into Texas, and at around 2:00, that black blob is directly over Evansville," Wishard explained. "That black blob is the shadow of the moon on the Earth, and the path it carves out through the Pacific, Mexico, and Texas, up into the Midwest, that is the path of totality.”
Missouri resident Jackie Probst sat in the darkened planetarium with her 11-year-old grandson. She’s planning a return trip to Evansville on April 8 after experiencing the 2017 eclipse.
“We watched it from Lake Saint Louis Lake out on our boat, and it was very interesting watching the ducks and geese fly in and hunker down," Probst remembered. "They went to sleep, and when it was over, they were up and awake for the day.”
Probst appreciates what Evansville is doing to educate the public, especially young people.
Kelly McDaniel has been leading Solar Fest at the Evansville Vanderburgh County Public Librarythat features kid-centered crafts, telescopes, and story hour.
“It seems like they’ve definitely heard about something. Something really cool is coming, but we’re trying to give them some more context, some scientific background and make sure they stay safe.”
On a recent Saturday, McDaniel talked to a group of kids outside as they viewed a reflective telescope called a Sunspotter.
“Is the sun moving or are we? We’re moving, right? The Earth’s moving, so I have to adjust this every few minutes or so," she said during her demonstration.
Inside the library, Sarah White, 3, made corona chalk art by putting a paper plate on black construction paper using chalk to trace the sun’s corona.
"Flip it over and show your eclipse," her mom, Jade White, said. Jade recalled seeing a partial eclipse during her childhood.
“I was elementary school, which was the 1990s, and I think they just took us outside and made us look through holes in paper plates. We didn’t have solar eclipse glasses," White said, with a laugh.
"Are we gonna stand outside with our special glasses and watch when the moon goes over the sun," asked Jade White? "Yeah!," Sarah White exclaimed.
Kentucky and Indiana towns along the path of totality have spent years taking cues from past eclipse cities, making contingency plans for traffic jams, medical emergencies, and overwhelmed cellphone towers. It’s been worth it to win nature’s sweepstakes, and on April 8, it’ll be time to shine.
