April 22, 2024 —On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse passed through much of the U.S., with a line of totality from Texas to Maine. Kendal at Oberlin would fall directly in the center of that line. That sounded like a great reason for a party!
Planning for this meant taking a chance on the weather. Typically, northeast Ohio is cool and cloudy in early April. But Mother Nature treated us to sunshine and temperatures around 70 degrees that afternoon. It was a spectacular day.
Residents and staff gathered in locations all over the Kendal at Oberlin campus. A handful of Priority members joined us and many residents had friends and family in town for the big event. A few staff members brought their children to work that day. Dining Services served up special treats with an eclipse theme – cookies dipped in chocolate to show various stages of eclipse and colorful “Galaxy Lemonade” with sparkling edible glitter. We had plenty of Kendal at Oberlin eclipse viewing glasses, marked with logo, date and coordinates to commemorate the occasion.
The NASA live feed of the nationwide eclipse was shown on the big screen in the Auditorium, and on the Kendal TV station, WSCC. But the big show was outside. From locations near the Heiser Community Center, to the Stephens Care Center, and outside of cottages and apartments, people gathered to watch the perfect alignment of the sun and moon.
Staff Images from the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
What Did We See?
At around 2:00 p.m., we could see the shadow of the moon start to cross over the sun. The day was still bright for about an hour. But as more of the sun was covered, it started to get darker. As we neared totality, some people said they heard more chatter from the birds and frogs. When the moon fully covered the sun, it was like nightfall. Totality was an amazing sight! The dark circle of the moon was surrounded by an aura of white light from the sun. All around, we heard “oohs” and “ahhs” and applause! For nearly four minutes, we enjoyed the total solar eclipse. Then the moon continued its path across the sun, and daylight returned.
Knowing this celestial show wouldn’t take place in our area again for many years, it felt wonderful to experience this as a “CommUnity.” Words really can’t describe it. We have lots of pictures to help us remember the 2024 total solar eclipse. But being right there – in person with friends and family, neighbors and co-workers – that was the very best experience of all.
Thank you to Brian Smith of Facility Services for sharing his images of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, taken from the campus of Kendal at Oberlin.