Young or old, for many the eclipse was a once-in-a-lifetime event. During the moment of totality, demographics, politics and egos fell to the side as people collectively came together as a group in wide-eyed curiosity to stare — and all it took was a rare celestial event that will not happen in Brown County again for approximately 130 years.

Sheriff Brad Stogsdill told the Democrat that they did not have any notable issues during the eclipse and that their preparations came in handy. “It was kind of lowkey, we were busier last weekend,” Stogsdill said. He added, “It would’ve been nice for there to have been more people so the businesses could make more money, but we are glad it was not dangerous. It happened exactly as it was meant to.”

Emergency Management Director Chad Jenkins told the Democrat that he could not make an accurate prediction of the attendance, but he thinks it was less than a typical fall weekend. Fall weekends typically see around 60,000 visitors. Jenkins said that the previous week’s weather could have been a driving force for the tourists to stay away, but the turnout was the best-case scenario because everyone was safe.

“Everything we prepared for went smoothly,” Jenkins said. “We were ready, we identified where the wheels would come off and they didn’t.”

Lodgings and accommodations began booking a year in advance for many hotels and campgrounds. Patty Frensemeier an owner of both, Friends O’ Mine Campground and Cabins and Hills O’ Brown Vacation Rentals. She told the Democrat that both of her businesses were full and had been reserved for a year. Anytime there was a cancellation, someone would immediately book it.

She said that many families she spoke with were first-time visitors of Nashville and told her they would like to come back to explore the town more. “If there’s such a thing as not looking at the negative, my businesses both had a great first weekend of April. I knew the month of April was going to be good because of how great they did,” Frensemeier said. “If you (business owners) look at your normal first weekend in April, that can be a positive.”

Other hotels in town, however, had trouble filling all of their rooms.

Joy Tilton, one of the owners of Grandwood Suites and a founder of Hoosierfest, told the Democrat that while many people prepared for large crowds like restaurants, hotels and the town, no one truly knew what to expect.

“We were booking out months in advance, and people were excited,” Joy Tilton, one of the owners of Grandwood Suites said. “But then we started receiving cancellations right before the event.”

While Grand Wood Suites room prices were raised from around $229 to $865 from Sunday to Monday, Tilton said they were able to lower the prices during the eclipse to their normal prices to fill vacancies.

Nashville Town Manager Sandie Jones told the Democrat that the town was prepared and ready for everything.

“Across the country, people were expecting more people and we had what we had,” Jones said. She added, “The town staff did a wonderful job. I would’ve rather been overprepared than underprepared.”