Gary joined millions nationwide in witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime eclipse, a phenomenon that will not reoccur in the area for decades.
The eclipse’s view began in Northwest Indiana at 2:07 CT pm. and was expected to be up to 97% totality in the area, according to meteorologist Zachary Yack with the National Weather service in Chicago. The Midwest won’t experience another total eclipse until 2099.
With 97% coverage, viewers could still see a sliver of the sun’s corona.
Marquette Park was one of the most popular viewing destinations in Gary, with hundreds of spectators congregating along the beach, park, and pavilion.
“I just wanted visitors to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime event on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan here in the city of Gary,” Gary Parks Director LaVetta Sparks-Wade told Capital B Gary.
By 1 p.m., cars filled the beach parking lot. An hour later, the moon had nearly obscured the sun, while an orange hue tinted the city as hundreds of Gary onlookers turned towards the sky.
“This feels like watching God do his work,” said Lisa Jones, a Gary resident and spectator sitting on a park bench at Marquette Beach.
Sitting on top of their cars, Kerry and Sharnita Rice, with their daughter Zyon, peer through their glasses with anticipation. Zyon, 16, said that this would be her second eclipse and an upgrade from the last time when she used DIY eclipse glasses made from cereal boxes and plastic as a kid.
“It’s great; it’s the only time in our lifetime we’ll be expected to see it,” said Kerry Rice, 57.
“It’s an exciting experience and not something you see every day,” Sharnita Rice, 48, added.
As the sun’s eclipse reached totality, temperatures dipped. Toward the end of the eclipse, it became noticeably warmer, and skies became brighter around the park.
Across the city, from Fifth Avenue to Glen Park, residents and workers stepped outside to view the eclipse.
At Indiana University Northwest, chocolate-dipped Oreos were being served, and sun-themed songs were played for the students, children, residents, and even pets who were in attendance.
Sophomores Charity Suggs and Raven Crawford lounged on the grass after their anatomy lab to catch a good look at the sky. Both were excited to partake in the festivities with everyone, with Suggs saying she’d only seen an eclipse in photos, so she was shocked to view it for herself.
“I thought it was really, really cool, especially with the glasses. It looked like nighttime but in the daytime,” Crawford said.
Other local eclipse viewing events in Gary were at the Dunes and Calumet Township Multipurpose Center. About 2½ hours away in Indianapolis, thousands of tourists trekked to see the eclipse’s expected 100% totality.
Capital B Gary youth and education reporter Maddy Franklin contributed to this story.
