On Monday, April 8, the solar eclipse left my family and I awestruck as we watched the moon completely cover the sun. Since this is a rare solar event, I decided to celebrate throughout the whole weekend. This added some fun surrounding the eclipse as well as memories that will last a lifetime.
I started the weekend, Saturday night, by getting together with some friends and taking a quick trip to Titusville. Going to this small town, I wasn’t expecting much nightlife to be happening. We started driving around the town and there were people everywhere. Their restaurants and bars were booming with several themed events dedicated to the solar eclipse. We stopped at a pub called “The Mill” to watch close friends perform live music before we headed to the booming “Iron Works.” Live music echoed throughout the whole rustic building as people of all ages danced and socialized. Decorations lined the walls dedicated to the eclipse and everyone was down to have a good time to kick off the weekend. We only stayed for a few minutes though because the restaurant that is connected to the building closed before we could eat. This left us hungry and searching for a new place. We ended up eating at Burger King and Mcdonalds and went home to have a movie night. This was a good start to my weekend.
As we head into Sunday, the eclipse was getting closer and closer. My brother saw that the Haunted House in Erie known as “Eeriebyss Factory of Terror” was opening their doors again to provide a fun scare for people who were coming to Erie. We, of course, had to make our way down because at Halloween time, we never made it to a Haunted House, so this was our opportunity to experience one. We called some friends and decided to leave around eight. Because of all the hype surrounding the eclipse, I was expecting Erie to be chaotic. However, it was honestly the least busy I had ever seen Erie. We made it to the attraction but were surprised to see that there was no line to get into the factory. “Security guards” were watching the entrance in black shirts and escorted us into the building to buy tickets. Twenty dollars and one glow stick later, we were about to enter into the darkness. A woman greeted us wearing a sun costume as she held a moon over her face to resemble the eclipse. We were then split up and sent in. In the shadows, we maneuvered through the attraction being chased by clowns, people with chainsaws, and other figures. Although I could barely see anything, I could tell a lot of detail was added to make this experience interactive and a moment to remember. It lasted around 15 minutes and was another great part of my eclipse celebration.
Lastly, Monday came along and this was the day that the whole country was waiting for. I started the day waking up bright and early to get my workout in before I go to work. This made it so I didn’t have to worry about doing anything after the solar eclipse. After that, I went to work and luckily because of all the activities happening downtown, it was pretty dead. We closed between 3:00 and 3:30 to watch the eclipse, and I was happy because I was able to leave work and go to my grandma’s house to enjoy the solar event with my family. My family had chairs on the back deck and made a party out of the viewing. We really thought that we wouldn’t be able to see the eclipse happen because of how cloudy it was, but with our luck, the clouds cleared just in time for totality. Three-sixteen came and the sky darkened. Watching this first hand was mesmerizing and jaw dropping for me. We took videos and pictures and took in the whole experience.
This last weekend was honestly very enjoyable for me, especially because I was able to celebrate this event that won’t happen again for another 20 years. It’s crazy to think that humans can witness something that is happening in the solar system. I am excited to see how my life has changed in 2044 when the next solar eclipse takes place.
