Cosmic cocktails, live music and eclipse parties will enliven the Fort Worth area on April 8 as thousands of people look up at the sky for the rare astronomical event: a total solar eclipse.
Businesses and transportation officials alike are preparing for an influx of economic activity and traffic as thousands of visitors travel toward the path of totality, which will cover the Tarrant County area in darkness shortly after 1:40 p.m.
The Fort Worth-Arlington-Grapevine area is expected to rake in nearly $64 million in personal income from business activity associated with the eclipse, according to the Perryman Group, an economic and financial analysis firm.
“We are excited to welcome visitors from all over the world to Fort Worth to experience the eclipse,” said Mitch Whitten, COO of Visit Fort Worth. “With the city being in the path of totality, visitors can find a variety of viewing offerings throughout the city.”
The Texas Department of Transportation is expecting heavier traffic the weekend before and on April 8 and warned drivers to take extra caution that day, said Bethany Kurtz, a public information officer at TxDOT’s Fort Worth District.
“TxDOT wants to make sure that drivers pull into a safe location to watch the eclipse,” Kurtz said. “It’s important that drivers pull over in a designated parking space before the eclipse if they want to view it. Parking or standing on road shoulders, medians or stopping in the middle of the road will not be permitted.”
Maribel Martinez-Mejia, the director of emergency preparedness for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, said the group has been planning for several months with local and state entities such as TxDOT, law enforcement and fire departments to ensure that state and emergency resources aren’t overwhelmed during the eclipse.
Martinez-Mejia pointed out a few safety and emergency considerations, from traffic congestion that prevents visitors and residents from driving to ambulances that need the roads to access hospitals.
“The majority of our emergency operation centers across the region will be activated to handle any issues that may come up,” Martinez-Mejia said. “They’re going to be monitoring, working with all these different entities, what’s wrong and they can coordinate and make sure that they have the communications to coordinate.”
TxDOT’s tips for a safe eclipse experience
- Prepare by leaving early for your destination.
- Park only in safe, designated areas – NOT on road shoulders, medians, or tall grass.
- Respect our state’s natural beauty and avoid stepping on wildflowers that will be in peak bloom during the eclipse.
- Clean up after yourself. “Don’t mess with Texas” means don’t litter.
- Wear protective eyewear when viewing the eclipse. Do not look directly at the sun without proper eye protection.
Planning for the eclipse required reviewing past solar eclipses, Martinez-Mejia said. Past reports found that one main issue was traffic congestion following the end of an eclipse, as people would try to leave whatever location had hosted an event at the same time, resulting in roads filled with slow-moving or stopped traffic for hours. She said those residing in the region should be prepared and plan around the aftermath of the total eclipse.
TxDOT advises people driving around the time of the eclipse to slow down and be prepared for heavy traffic, sudden stops and distracted pedestrians. Drivers should keep their headlights on, even in the daylight, and not wear eclipse glasses while driving.
The once-in-a-lifetime event in Texas when the moon passes between the Earth and sun, casting a shadow on Earth, will attract thousands of people to Fort Worth. With the total eclipse looming, businesses are capitalizing on the opportunity of the rare event, with local and state officials preparing for the onslaught of traffic and tourists that could cause some safety issues.
Timberview Farmstead — a Fort Worth nonprofit that teaches people agricultural education through its farms filled with animals such as cows, horses, bunnies and chicks, as well as a 15,000-square-foot greenhouse and garden — is holding an eclipse-related event on the farm to “make the most of this event,” said Graham Cepica, the group’s business manager.
For $10, the farm will host an eclipse viewing party with food trucks, lawn games and hay rides with the background of the farm and its animals surrounding eclipse watchers.
“We’re making the most of this thing that everybody can experience, maybe if they step outside their office building, but at Timberview, you’re going to be on a farm looking at the total eclipse, which is a pretty unique environment in places to experience this event,” Cepica said.
Hotels in Grapevine are also nearly full for the historic occasion, Elizabeth Schrack, director of communications at Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in an email.
“We are so excited to welcome visitors from all around the world to come to witness the Total Solar Eclipse in Grapevine,” Schrack said. “Our team has been planning for it for about two years to make sure they know Grapevine would be a great place to visit as we sit squarely in the Path of Totality.”
Schrack said the convention bureau is hosting a VIP Watch Party on Peace Plaza at Grapevine Main Station, giving guests a front-row seat to live, themed music, foods and drinks and more while watching the total solar eclipse. Schrack also highlighted Historic Nash Farm, with an event on April 5 to not only teach kids how solar eclipses work, but also a step back into the 1800s, telling the history of Grapevine.
The rarity of the event makes the April 8 solar eclipse especially attractive to visitors. The last time North Texas saw a total solar eclipse was in 1878, according to the National Weather Service.
Shannon Schmoll, the director of Michigan State University’s Abrams Planetarium, told reporters the phenomenon only occurs a few times every decade because of the moon’s tilt.
The moon’s orbit around the Earth is tilted about five degrees, meaning that even when it crosses between the Earth and the sun, the moon’s shadow goes above or below the Earth depending on the tilt. However, if the moon’s shadow manages to align with the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs.
“The next time this will happen across a large portion of the United States like this is 2045, so it is definitely worth it if you can go see this,” Schmoll said.
Kevin Vu is a journalism student at the University of Texas at Austin and contributor to the Fort Worth Report. He previously worked for The Texas Tribune as a reporting fellow.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.