GREENFIELD — As the clock turned to 2:44 p.m., a man in the crowd at the Greenfield Energy Park announced the partial solar eclipse was about to peak. The crowd cheered, and then for a second, it sounded as though many of the kids gathered began to howl at the moon-shaped sun.
The event, a partial solar eclipse where the moon crosses in front of the sun, is a rare enough occurrence that although New England is far away from the geographical path of totality, many came out to see what they could see.
The Greenfield Cultural Council, which hosted the viewing party, had purchased 100 pairs of certified eclipse-viewing glasses ahead of the event, which was scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. But before 1 p.m., a line had already formed and by 1:15 they were out of glasses.
Beth Adams was the first in line with her son, Dominic, and his friends, Joshua and Jason Garcia. She said they got to the park early to ensure they would be able to get glasses.
All three boys were excited to see what the eclipse would look like because, like many of the children at the event, an eclipse hadn’t happened in their lifetimes.
The crowds grew well over the hundred pairs of glasses, with several hundred in attendance, either sharing glasses or bringing pinhole camera-style DIY boxes to view the eclipse.
Kathy Cole came with her daughter, Christina Chin, and her grandson, Maxwell Kenfield, 7. They made a pinhole camera out of an Amazon Prime shipping box.
Cole said that the event was a great way to bring the community together and said that it’s been a very positive event beyond the eclipse.
“It’s so much fun for the kids to see each other before school,” she said.
Cultural Council President Linda McInerney said that everyone in the crowd was more than willing to share glasses with strangers and make new friends. She thanked the crowd for coming out to a “Once-ish in a lifetime event” and said that the attendance was far more than they had expected.
“I think this is really great,” she said. “All of these people coming together, and all they have in common is the eclipse.”
Nina Smolyar, a Greenfield resident, walked over to the park from her nearby home, and said she was happy to have a place so close in town to watch the eclipse with others. She has a tattoo of the phases of the moon around her left calf and said that the event, and any lunar or solar event, is very meaningful to her.
“I love the moon and the sun and nature,” she added.
Bram Moreinis brought his Alaskan Malamute, Sylvie, to the event. When asked if he’d brought along eclipse glasses for her? He wasn’t too sure she’d need them.
“I don’t think that my dog is going to be any more likely to look up at the sun now than she has in the rest of her life,” he said. And sure enough, Sylvie picked a spot in the shade and while she was an attraction for the many children at the park, she didn’t seem to notice the eclipse.
Moreinis said that beyond an excuse to step away from the computer and gather in Greenfield, the eclipse has more meaning.
“I think the solar eclipse is an apt representation of our current political situation,” he said. “And I hope that the people can align with the forces of gravity and keep us revolving to a better future.”
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