BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—To celebrate the upcoming eclipse in April, the Bucyrus Rotary Club distributed free solar eclipse glasses to Bucyrus, Buckeye Central, Colonel Crawford, Crestline, Galion, Galion St. Joe’s, Wayside Christian, and Wynford.
“Witness the awe-inspiring power of the cosmos as the moon briefly blocks out the sun, plunging our world into an unforgettable twilight. But remember, staring directly at the sun, even during an eclipse, can be dangerous. That’s why we are providing these specially designed glasses to students, ensuring they can experience this celestial phenomenon safely,” a quote from the Rotary’s Facebook page says.
Almost two years ago, Rotarian Julie Rexroad, a high school science teacher at Wynford, discussed the solar eclipse at a Rotary meeting and how getting all the Crawford County schools’ solar eclipse glasses would be cool.
“The idea was presented to the Rotary board, and the process of coming up with a design and ordering began. Ronda Scott, Bucyrus Rotary treasurer, helped with the ordering process,” Rexroad said.
In the fall of 2023, districts were contacted on the project and asked to figure out how many glasses they’d need for each of their students.
Once numbers were in from each district and the 6,600 glasses were received, they stayed in Rexroad’s classroom until Science Club and Interact Club members, the student version of Rotary, could sort them out for each school.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most of us in our area. Rotary is so glad that we were able to give all Crawford County schools the solar eclipse glasses for their students. Let’s just hope it’s not cloudy that day,” Rexroad said.
Rotary members Tami Tima-Burk and Julie Rexroad delivered the glasses to the schools on January 31.
According to NASA, “A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk.”
NASA safety guidelines state that the eclipse should only be viewed directly through special glasses–do not use any type of sunglasses, binoculars, camera lenses, telescopes, etc., also stating that cameras, binoculars, and telescopes require special solar filters. Failure to use proper solar viewing materials will result in instant and severe eye injury.
The complete safety guidelines from NASA can be found here.
Further information on solar eclipses and when this one will be visible in different places across the country can be found here.
The solar eclipse will begin in Crawford County at 3:13 EDT on April 8.
Schools will be responsible for passing out the glasses closer to the eclipse date.
Lowe Volk Park has some available for two dollars for anyone who would like to purchase solar eclipse glasses.
The Crawford Park Astronomy Club will have its solar eclipse scope with a sun filter out at Lowe Volk Park that day.
For a full list of places holding special events for the eclipse, go to the Q92.7 website.
