Kalispell community comes together for eclipse
Dean Regan, 4, and his father Tom watch the solar eclipse at Flathead Valley Community College’s viewing party on Monday. (Stefanie Thompson/Daily Inter Lake)
Hundreds of people gathered at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell to watch Monday’s solar eclipse. (Stefanie Thompson/Daily Inter Lake)
Kip Smith, 64, of Kalispell, watches the solar eclipse through a pinhole viewer at Flathead Valley Community College on Monday. (Stefanie Thompson/Daily Inter Lake)
Judy Doxtater and Francie Lipp, both of Kalispell, watch the solar eclipse at Flathead Valley Community College on Monday. (Stefanie Thompson/Daily Inter Lake)
The solar eclipse at its peak coverage in Kalispell projected on a backyard fence through the leaves of a tree Monday. (Frank Miele/Daily Inter Lake)
By 11:10 a.m. Monday, a crowd of several hundred people had gathered on a lawn at Flathead Valley Community College to watch the solar eclipse. There was still a line of about two dozen people hoping to pick up safety viewing glasses, but most everyone was already watching the action while Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” played over the loudspeakers.
Community members of all ages came together at the college to witness the celestial event. Tom Regan, of Kalispell, brought his sons Jude, 5, and Dean, 4, to the viewing, along with lawn chairs, snacks and, of course, safety glasses.
“We just wanted to be around our neighbors,” Regan said. “I thought it would be a cool experience for them.”
The solar eclipse started in Kalispell at 10:16 a.m. and was over by 12:51 p.m. By 11:25 a.m., the group gathered at FVCC was totally transfixed on the sky. A few remarked on the noticeable drop in temperature. Others were busy trying to capture the event with cameras or cellphones. Dean Martin was crooning about “when the moon hits your eye” in the background.
At the moment of peak coverage — 11:31 a.m. — a cheer went through the crowd.
“The moon is in front of the sun!” Dean Regan said excitedly. “It’s a crescent!”
The next total solar eclipse that will be visible in the U.S. will occur in April 2024. For more information about this and other eclipses, visit https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/.
Arts and entertainment editor Stefanie Thompson can be reached at 758-4439 or ThisWeek@dailyinterlake.com.