By Sheryl Roadcap

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TROY — The 2024 total solar eclipse was a once in a lifetime event that is now in the history books.

Miami County was lucky to be one of the areas in the path of totality on Monday, April 8. Those in the area got the chance to experience a very rare occurrence — the last time Ohio saw a total solar eclipse was 1806.

“I thought it was very cool,” said 13-year-old Elijah Morgan, of Troy, son of Ralph Morgan and Tonya Morgan. “I was like, ‘How did it get that dark (outside) and this is crazy how you could then see (the eclipse of the sun) without the glasses on.’ I am very glad I was able to have that experience. It looked black with a white ring around it. It was cool.”

U.S. Air Force Vietnam veteran Nick Essinger, of Troy, experienced the eclipse from another level than most others by observing it from the sky up in an airplane while visiting WACO Air Field visitors Monday.

When asked what it was like flying during an eclipse, he said, “It was wonderful flying to begin with,” noting that he “hadn’t been up like that in a plane for 60 years.“

“The eclipse was tremendous because you could see the darkness, the lights and the cars and houses and street lights really weren’t having time (to come on) like at night,” Essinger said. “It was wonderful. The last time I was up was 60 years ago in a C47 from Elpaso to Riverside Air Force Base.“

Kim Lawson, of Troy, celebrated her 49th birthday on Monday with candles lit and “Happy Birthday” being sung to her during the eclipse.

“That was the best birthday present ever!!” Lawson said by text late Monday. “I loved it!”

Animals may have been slightly confused, said Jenny Tackett, of Pleasant Hill, whose family has several different animals, including cats, dogs, chickens, ducks and pigs on their property.

“The birds didn’t go into their coop, like we thought they might. They just seemed a little confused. Our chickens hovered around their coop, but didn’t go in. We watched the ducks and chicken for about 30 minutes prior to the totality of the eclipse. They really didn’t act strange or different until during the totality when it was kind of a twilight. That was when the chickens went to stand beside the coop and the ducks kind of just walked around. Our pigs acted normal and just kept grazing,” Tackett said, also reporting their dog didn’t seem to care much about the changes, but rather was interested in getting some attention.

Leiann Stewart, Miami County Visitors & Convention Bureau executive director, spoke about visitors in the area, noting it is a bit early to have concrete numbers yet but confirmed people came to Miami County from all over the country.

“We had a great eclipse day!” she said by email Tuesday morning. There were visitors throughout Miami County from all over the U.S … from Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia, Hawaii, and others.

“The collaboration that took place in Miami County between communities, foundations, Chambers, Mainstreets, and other organizations is remarkable. Thank you to all of the partners involved,” she said.

Bruce Brownlee, a Tipp City native and now a resident of Johns Island, South Carolina, returned to Miami County with his wife, Diane, for the event. He said they were happy to have made the trip.

“We felt lucky that the sky conditions were far better than forecast and really enjoyed observing the eclipse in such favorable conditions,” He said about their experience by email on Tuesday. “A Sunday night storm cleared the sky for peaceful eclipse-watching on Monday. We started the day on top of the Tipp City levee to look across the valley toward the Great Miami River. It was funny that we found a blanket and chair that a neighbor had already dropped off atop the levee in preparation for the eclipse.”

“In a neighborhood party, we had a very peaceful and exciting time. The watchers were impressed to see planets show up during total eclipse,” he continued. “The Holiday Inn Express was sold out here in Tipp tonight, but there were absolutely no traffic jams except at the Dairy Queen where the line for dip cups was longer than usual.”

Brownlee has sponsored a 2024 Dropbox folder for friends to upload pictures and videos. Anyone with this link can upload videos and photos. Everyone is invited to share their photos or videos so that people can see what is what like all over the Miami Valley area. To share photos to Brownlee’s 2024 Dropbox folder go to https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/bxqpuuj636z0dhum0gxv3/h?rlkey=ezoei2qwpkqlpsb9tuyl67i7l&dl=0

Greg Applegate and his wife Denise drove from Columbus. They were among the first to arrive early Monday morning at the Miami County Fairgrounds to watch the eclipse.

“We were a little worried about traffic after hearing the reports and seeing signs on the roads but there were no issues on the drive this morning,” Applegate said.

The couple planned on driving home after the eclipse in the afternoon.

“Hopefully traffic is okay on the way back,” he added.

Joel Smith, director of the Miami County Emergency Management Agency, told Miami Valley Today, “As a whole, Miami County had a good number of visitors and our events were well-attended. We planned for worst case scenarios and were fortunate that every went smoothly. It was a great experience to be part of it.”

The city of Piqua issued the following news release regarding the eclipse:

“The Piqua community welcomed many visitors and enjoyed the solar eclipse Monday afternoon free of any major disruptions or inconveniences.

“Having Piqua in the path of totality of the solar eclipse is a rare and special occurrence,” said Piqua Mayor Kris Lee. “The event today was a great time for family and friends to come together, as well as our community as a whole. This was truly an experience to remember.”

The Piqua fire and police department both prepared for the eclipse with extra staff to be prepared for any possible incidents, but neither had any calls related to the eclipse.

“Our city’s public safety staff and our neighboring agencies worked fantastically together,” Piqua Fire Chief Lee Adams, said. “Had there been challenges of any sort, we were well-prepared. The opportunity to plan for this event together will yield benefits in the future for events yet unknown.”

On the city of Troy’s Facebook page, they thanked the community.

“WOW. What an experience to enjoy together,” the city’s Facebook page said.

“Thank you to all the organizations who helped our community join together to experience this once-in-a-lifetime eclipse: Troy Main Street, Miami County Visitors and Convention Bureau, Miami County – OH Emergency Management, The Troy Foundation, the local ham radio operators’ organization, Kettering Health, and all those involved in making our local celebration a success.”

Meredith McKee, director of the Tipp City Chamber of Commerce was happy about the community response to the eclipse.

“It was remarkable to see people from various backgrounds, both locals and visitors, coming together throughout our town to witness the eclipse. It truly highlighted the sense of community and shared excitement for this rare event,” said McKee.

“Seeing the full eclipse was truly unforgettable,” she said. “It was a humbling reminder of the magnificence of God’s creation.”

Miami County Sheriff Dave Duchak noted it was very quiet and no issues in the county on Monday.

“We had no issues, in fact, it was the quietest Monday I can recall with respect to calls for service. Interstate 75 traffic was busier than normal prior to and after the eclipse, but other than that, all went very well,” Duchak said.

The next solar eclipse in Ohio is predicted for 2099 and the United States will not have another one for 20 years, according to NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse. was is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence;

Several area locations and schools, as well as the Tipp City Public Library are collecting solar eclipse glasses to donate to the Astronomers Without Boarders glasses recycling program. Glasses are not recyclable, but are reusable. Astronomers Without Boarders try to help bring glasses to people who may not otherwise have a safe way to view the eclipse directly. To find their growing list of collection partners, go to https://astronomerswithoutborders.org/programs/solar-glasses-distribution .

Eamon Baird and Mike Ullery also contributed to this story.