Local plans for the days leading up to the April 8 solar eclipse will be made final during a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, in The Meeting Place, 11 E. Main St., Hagerstown.
“This will be the final opportunity for people to ask questions about what kind of things are planned for the eclipse,” said Gary Schuette. He and Town Council member Donnie Benedict are co-chairing the Hagerstown area’s planning for the celestial event.
Schuette said he hopes to come out of the meeting with a complete list of activities that the committee can promote on social media and other advertising. More than 95 local residents attended an initial eclipse planning meeting last fall.
The town, working through the Heart of Hagerstown group, has a series of activities planned starting on Thursday, April 4, and continuing through the eclipse. The town budgeted $40,000 to pay for entertainment and related expenses.
Volunteers are still needed to help with activities such as parking and cleanup. Anyone interested in helping may contact Schuette or Benedict.
Based on the experience of areas along the path of totality during a 2017 solar eclipse, Wayne County officials have forecast as many as 100,000 people may visit the county to view the eclipse. Hagerstown and the Dalton area just north of town are among places where the sun will be completely covered for almost four minutes around midday.
A version of this article appeared in the February 14 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.