Northern Schuylkill residents make trek to experience totality
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - The solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 nears totality in Lyons Falls, New York.
LYONS FALLS, New York – Several people from our area were among the thousands flocking to northwestern Pennsylvania and New York’s north country Monday to experience the total solar eclipse, as day turned to night and back in a matter of minutes.
The path of totality cut across the continental United States from Texas northeast through Ohio, northwestern PA, New York, and New England.
Locally, the sun was almost entirely obscured at the eclipse’s peak, but the Shenandoah area was still three hours south of totality, which is required for complete darkness.
Lyons Falls, a village of about 600 people just under an hour north of Utica in New York’s north country, was directly in that path, drawing dozens of visitors from across the northeast who lined the Black River.
At midday, a few hours before the eclipse, Dorrity’s Restaurant was at capacity with both eclipse chasers and locals.
Though clouds somewhat obscured the view of the sun itself, viewers were still able to see the sun’s light dim behind the moon, drawing cheers.
In Watertown, about an hour northwest of Lyons Falls, Matt Minalda and Jeff Bowers, of Mahanoy City, camped out for the eclipse.
Minalda called the experience “amazing” as darkness fell and there was a chill in the air. Bowers captured video of the phenomenon as seagulls from nearby Lake Ontario made a commotion.
In the Keystone State, Tom Bux shared with the Sentinel his experience at Pymatuning State Park in Crawford County.
“I saw the most amazing and beautiful thing in my life,” Bux wrote of the eclipse.
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