Views in awe as they watch the moon and the sun on Monday afternoon in Ashland
As the sky began to darken in Ashland, Ohio, sky watchers scattered around the perimeter of Freer Field could be heard counting down to the final phase of the solar eclipse.
As it reached totality, a low cheer could be heard from around the field.
In its aftermath, Susan Dressler of Leonardtown, Maryland, called it "pretty stunning," taking in the phenomenon with her husband, Rick, and sons, Will and Roger.
She hadn't anticipated the "brightness of the corona − like a jewel," she said.
Not only did it look like a gem, "it twinkled," she said, excited to have caught sight of the solar flare.
Equally enthusiastic was Will, a high school sophomore, who has always been interested in space, his mother said.
"He goes out at night and takes pictures of the galaxies and the nebulae," she said, and is potentially looking at a career in astrophysics.
He showed off his picture of the solar flare as he scrolled through the 413 photos he took of the cosmic event.
The family brought with them on their trip an equatorial tracking mount, a large camera lens and a mirrorless camera, as well as a solar filter for the partial eclipse portion of the event.
The eclipse was "amazing," Will said.
'The coolest thing I've ever seen'
"That was the coolest thing I've ever seen," said Clay Stimmel of New Lexington, Ohio, "and will never see it again - possibly," he said.
"We did the math," he added, calculating 9-year-old Thea will be in her 80s when it comes around again.
"That was spectacular," Miranda Stimmel said.
"It felt like we were in some kind of movie scene," said Heather Kessler of Newark, describing the eclipse as "very surreal."
"I just loved being out there with everyone," she said. "We were all in this together," experiencing "the wonderment and awe."
Her husband, Dave Kessler, a pilot experienced in meteorology, explained why total darkness did not occur.
"The area not in totality around us on the horizon was still fairly bright," he said. "That refracts off of the atmosphere and that's what we were seeing."
Looks like an 'eyeball,' 'Pacman'
One of the observations along the way to totality came from Gavin Kessler, who said, "it looks like an eyeball pointing down to the southeast."
Just a little later, said Heather Kessler, "It looked almost like a Pacman."
The crowd gathered for Moonfest was decidedly smaller and less boisterous than at Balloonfest each July.
But the visitors, some of whom hailed from Maryland, New Jersey and Rhode Island, expressed pleasure at finding this location along the path of the eclipse to watch it.
"We (had) randomly picked a place in New York," Rick Dressler said.
But Will, checking weather conditions, found Ashland the closest place along the path with less chance of cloud cover.
They left Clymer, New York, at 6:15 Monday morning for Ashland.
"Everybody's so friendly here," Susan Dressler said.
'Profound silence' at moment of totality
In looking for a place to view the event, said Lorena Bellomo of Garwood, New Jersey, she and her husband, Bill, and two sons, Gabriel, 14, and Liam, 12, looked at Akron, where places they wanted to stay were booked.
Searching further, they found Ashland, and it seemed like "a beautiful little town," Bill Bellomo said.
They even thought about staying another day at the Hampton Inn in Ashland, but "it's all sold out today," he said on Monday.
"This is my third eclipse," he said, including a trip to South Carolina in 2017.
It's an experience not to be forgotten, Bill Bellomo said, referring to the "profound silence" accompanying the exact moment of totality.
"It's majestic," he said.
David and Susan Snodgrass of Richmond, Virginia viewed this opportunity as the last chance to observe an eclipse.
"We wanted a nice, small town," Susan Snodgrass said. "This is a lovely town."
"We're originally from Ohio," said Susan Smucker of Sarsota, Florida.
Looking for small-town viewing
A curriculum coordinator, Smucker, formerly of Columbus, said, "It's a once-in-a- lifetime event coming right over our hometown."
Possibly even more importantly, her son, Keenan, a high school sophomore, said, "I made a promise to myself in fourth grade" he would return for it.
Other family members, including Kate Smith of Wooster, joined them.
"It's right in our backyard," Smith said, showcasing special eclipse-themed pastries from Miss Amy's Bakery.
"She opened up on Monday just for this," Smith said.
John O'Callaghan of Gaithersburg, Maryland, said he and his family looked on Google Earth for a location on the path of totality within driving distance and with an Airbnb.
He and his wife, Amy, and children, Thomas, 11, and Gianna, 13, chose Glenmont, where they stayed at Marymount Hideaway, then wound their way to Freer Field.
Peter Crump, who also sought a small town for viewing the eclipse, brought his 40-year-old Astroscan telescope with him from Silver Spring, Maryland, to project the eclipse onto a screen.
Throughout the afternoon visitors enjoyed the sunny weather, picnicking and playing games like Frisbee and kickball on the wide meadow, waiting for the unique experience to unfold.
It was important "just to say you were here," Susan Smucker said.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: 2024 total solar eclipse stuns viewers in Ashland County, Ohio
