A once-in-a-lifetime celestial event will darken the sky over Nashville on April 8. The total solar eclipse will occur from approximately 3:05 p.m. to 3:09. The partial eclipse however, will begin at 1:50 p.m.
A total solar eclipse happens when the sun, moon and Earth form a straight line creating a shadow on the Earth from the moon blocking the sun and an impressive visual effect known as the corona.
“The last solar eclipse in Nashville was in 1869 and the one before it was in 1205,” Jimmy Tilton, local business-owner and organizer of Hoosierfest said. “The next for Indiana will be in 2099, but that will be in the northeast. The next for Nashville will be in 2153.”
Nashville will be in the path of totality and Tilton expects a large number of tourists to visit Brown County within the few days surrounding the eclipse.
“Anything that we can do to keep people entertained where they are parked so people trickle out is a big goal,” Tilton said. “(Jimmy and his brother Andrew) are providing music entertainment, the name of our event is Hoosierfest. Brown County is in the memory-making business. You can buy any mass produced item online, but you cannot buy experiences.”
Tilton said that they are able to have up to 20 food trucks and currently have 10 interested. There will also be space on the Foxfire lot for local restaurants that would like additional space. The event will take place on the Foxfire, Corner Stone and Cedar Creek Park lots.
“Right now, we have 13 musical acts and we are inviting any local artists if they want some space, we will provide a little space for them,” Tilton said. “They can bring their own tent and table free of charge. It will either be on the Cornerstone Inn parking lot for the art, or we may have it on our Foxfire lot.”
Local artists or restaurants that would like to be included in Hoosierfest are encouraged to call (888) 253-3378 or email [email protected].
Tilton currently has 70 portable toilets that will be rented for the Hoosierfest as well as additional parking at Tilton farms. There will also be a kids zone with cornhole and bounce houses.
The event will open on April 5 and end on April 8 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. Tickets will be available for $20 for adults over the age of 21, $10 for youth between ages 8 and 20 and free for children under 7. Each ticket will include access for the entire festival.
Tilton said that businesses should be prepared for difficulty heading to work during the eclipse. He recommends merchants take into consideration the lack of parking and availability around their businesses. He also recommends considering a sleepover in their businesses before and during the eclipse.
There will be other events in Brown County during the eclipse including kids’ eclipse crafts, art and hands-on activities on March 6 and 16 at the Brown County Public Library. The library will also be hosting an event on March 6 with author Mark Littman, Ph.D. Littman will be selling and signing copies of his book Totality: The Great North American Eclipse of 2024 and educating people on the science and folklore behind eclipses.
The library has eclipse glasses for people who register for their events. However, the Brown County Welcome Center will also begin handing out eclipse glasses on April 1.
The Brown County Welcome Center will be displaying updated events for the eclipse on their website. They are also working to make sure that residents and visitors will all be able to park comfortably during the eclipse.
“We are working hand-in-hand with ParkMobile to make sure visitors can reserve parking,” Christina Villani the marketing director at the Brown County Welcome Center said. “We are pushing for people to have parking attendants to have a list with all of the parking spaces and who paid.”
Villani explained that ParkMobile is an application that people can download on their smart phones. Once parking lots and spaces are uploaded on the app, everyone using the app will be notified about the eclipse event in Nashville. Villani said that people out of the town will also be notified, to help promote the event to potential visitors. Once the parking spots are uploaded, people will be able to reserve them in advance for specific time frames.
The Brown County Welcome Center will be hosting a contest called Eclipse Comes Naturally. Individuals can upload their photos on the Brown County Welcome Center website in preparation for the eclipse or while enjoying Brown County. One person will be chosen to win a special package with experiences and gift cards from local businesses to explore Brown County at a later date.
