'There was an audible gasp' from eclipse viewers in Cuyahoga Falls, Tallmadge

Becky Plymale, who drove from Pennsylvania to view Monday's solar eclipse from the Summit County Fairgrounds in Tallmadge with partner Bruce Shettel, said "there was an audible gasp" from the crowd during totality.

The same thing happened in nearby downtown Cuyahoga Falls during the city's EclipseFest.

One EclipseFest attendee jokingly exclaimed after the peak of the afternoon eclipse that "morning" had arrived.

Viewers across northern Summit County described their awe and delight at witnessing the show in the sky, when the moon passed in front of the sun and brought darkness to the region for nearly three minutes in the middle of the day.

At EclipseFest, Margaret Hosack viewed the eclipse with friends and fellow Cuyahoga Falls residents Erica Hirsch and Stef Misciagna.

A little after 3:20 p.m. on Monday, right after everything went dark and became light again, Hosack confirmed the eclipse was a "once-in-a-lifetime experience."

"I think our eyes are still adjusting a little bit back from the sunshine," Hosack said. "But lots of festivities [are] going on downtown, lots of good food, food trucks — everybody's down here — beer, lots of fun T-shirts, families, chalk art. So, it's been a really fun day. We're excited to keep celebrating."

Hirsch added: "It was nice that all of Cuyahoga Falls got together for this event, and everyone cheered when it happened."

Watching eclipse atop parking garages

Cuyahoga Falls blocked cars from parking on the roofs of its three downtown parking decks to make room for people to view the eclipse.

Eric Flanders of North Hill in Akron set up lawn chairs on the top of the city's Cuyahoga Falls’ Red Deck at about 10 a.m. for himself and his wife, son and daughter to view the eclipse in the afternoon.

“You never know, even today, if you’re going to get a clear view of it,” he said from the garage roof.

Cuyahoga Falls Ward 4 City Councilman Joe Siegferth said from the roof of the Red Deck at about 10:30 a.m. on Monday that he was there to ensure that “the event is as seamless as possible and folks are safe.”

Siegferth said Cuyahoga Falls’ “beautiful downtown” and “walkability” makes the city well-suited to hosting many people, adding that he hoped the eclipse event would allow out-of-town visitors to see all the city has to offer — and encourage them to return.

After spending some time at the street level, Siegferth was back on the roof of the parking deck at about 2:20 p.m., equipped with a pair of eclipse glasses and sharing that he had a chance to view the moon starting to cross over the sun.

Solar eclipse clothes hit the racks at Mr. Funs in Cuyahoga Falls

City employees gear up for crowds

Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Walters said the city had prepared to accommodate a massive wave of visitors, with police on rooftops, the fire department monitoring with a drone and city utility workers operating out of city hall. Other city personnel were riding utility vehicles and bicycles around EclipseFest.

Law Director Janet Ciotola, who worked at the EclipseFest's Majestic Market, called the eclipse a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” and said she hoped the city would have a great turnout for the event and that people would enjoy it.

Jack Davis, who retired as Cuyahoga Falls' police chief last month, was helping maintain event safety and watched the eclipse with his wife, Katie Davis, media specialist assistant for the Cuyahoga Falls City School District.

Jack Davis said the turnout was about equal to what the city experiences for its Riverfront Irish Festival and Festa Italiana.

Families gather for EclipseFest

About one month out from their wedding, Michael Pompa of Cuyahoga Falls and Kathryn Dahlhausen of Streetsboro attended EclipseFest with Pompa’s parents, Jerry and Susan Pompa of the Pittsburgh area, where Michael is originally from. Dahlhausen is originally from Bay Village.

Jerry Pompa said he wasn’t expecting so many festivities at EclipseFest, which hosted food trucks, live music and more.

“We’re having a lot of fun,” Susan Pompa said.

Jerry Pompa said they hoped traffic wouldn't be too bad for the drive home.

Eclipse views from the Summit County Fairgrounds

Bruce Shettel of Cowansville, Pennsylvania, and partner Becky Plymale of Butler, Pennsylvania, drove to the Summit County Fairgrounds − about 3 miles outside of downtown Cuyahoga Falls − Monday morning to view the eclipse.

They originally planned to attend an eclipse day event in northern Pennsylvania, but they shifted their focus to Summit County when the weather forecast changed.

Shettel, a self-described "eclipse chaser," said he and Plymale saw the 2017 eclipse "in the middle of Wyoming in a desolate location."

Monday's eclipse was special, he said, because he said he saw a red dot at the bottom of the eclipse. Plymale said she saw it, too.

"But I'm going to always remember this one as an image I can look at in my mind because of the glowing, red gem on the bottom that was there the whole time," Shettel said.

Scientific American explained that the red dots during the eclipse were called solar prominences, which were especially visible because the sun is near the peak of its 11-year activity cycle.

Cathy Cunningham, executive fair manager and a member of the fairgrounds’ board of directors, said about 200 people visited the fairgrounds on Monday, adding that the majority of them came for the day rather than camped.

The fairgrounds held a pancake breakfast Monday morning and had two food trailers operating throughout the day, Cunningham said.

Representatives from Ohio State University Extension gave a science lesson to children and launched toy rockets with them, Cunningham said.

Fairgrounds visitors also viewed the eclipse through telescopes, played football and grilled barbecue, she said.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Eclipse viewers in Cuyahoga Falls, Tallmadge in awe during watch parties