AVON LAKE, Ohio — Northeast Ohioans will get a front seat to the total solar eclipse on April 8. 3News has extensively reported on how communities are preparing for the event.
"Our community has been planning for probably almost two years," Avon Lake Director of Parks and Recreation Erin Fach said.
Fach told WKYC the city has had 50,000 visitors to its solar eclipse website. They're expecting visitors from at least 30 states and several countries.
Nearby Avon has been on a mission to make it a good experience for residents and visitors. Leading up to April 8, the city will have two parks open for camping, a shuttle bringing folks around the city, and a music festival. On that Monday, the city will host the official watch party.
"For $25, you have a whole day of entertainment," Fach explained. "We have a couple really cool bands, we have a lot of food trucks, we have vendors on hand that'll have eclipse merchandise."
Meanwhile, Donald Packe, a Westlake resident, has been on a mission to educate fellow residents of Brookdale Westlake Village on the eclipse.
"I'm eager to have the experience, and I think a lot of people are," Packe said.
Packe tells us he worked at NASA for 38 years as an electrical engineer, but considers himself an amateur astronomer. He researched solar eclipse's and had four presentations for the residents at Brookdale Westlake Village, with his main message consisting of safety, the track of the solar eclipse, and what will happen once it gets dark.
"It was very interesting for me to learn these things," he noted, "and then I was happy to be able to pass them on to others."
3News has complied a list of events across Northeast Ohio and what glasses are needed to safely see the solar eclipse.