By WENDY HOLDREN
The Register-Herald
GRANDVIEW, W.Va. — Armed with a makeshift viewing box constructed from a diaper box, a shoe box and an old camera lens, Ray Parent and his family gathered on a picnic blanket in a grassy area at the New River Gorge National River at Grandview.
“I made it in about half an hour after watching an online tutorial,” Parent explained.
(Photo by Rick Barbero)
He held the cleverly constructed cardboard so his little ones — Zach, 8; Michaela, 7; Alison, 5; Ethan, 4; and Timothy, 2 — could safely view the sun during the total solar eclipse.
“I wanted to make it as a backup, just in case we couldn’t find glasses,” he said.
Ray and his wife, Tiffany, made plans Sunday to turn the astrological phenomenon into a family outing, complete with a picnic blanket, a cooler and snacks, as well as plans to hike a few trails and peer out across the main overlook.
The Mount Nebo family made it to Grandview around 12:30 p.m. — just in time to line up and receive free solar eclipse viewing glasses from the National Park Service Rangers.
The kids held their cardboard viewing glasses and gazed at the sun, as the paths of the moon and sun intersected, and Tiffany snapped photos of them to commemorate the occasion.
More than 300 pairs of glasses were disbursed within an hour, said Dave Bieri, public information officer for the New River Gorge National River. He said more than 500 people came out to the park for the viewing event.
“It’s a lot more than we expected,” Bieri said. “But the phone has been ringing off the hook the past couple days, so we knew we were going to have a good turnout.”
Sam Spencer, 27, of Beckley, also made it to Grandview in time to score a pair of free glasses.
“I couldn’t find them anywhere else, so I wanted to get here early.”
He said he was intent on seeing the total solar eclipse, as he’d heard the event would be a “once in a lifetime” experience. He even considered traveling for optimal viewing.
But as he researched, he discovered the next total solar eclipse viewable from the U.S. is only seven years from now, in 2024.
Spencer was still excited though, as he’s always had an interest in science.
He ran into a high school friend, Rihana Minor, also 27, who recently moved from Beckley to Houston, Texas.
“My sister is a former park ranger, so I’m learning a lot from her,” Minor shared. “I wasn’t able to get a pair of glasses of my own. I got here after 12:30 p.m., and they were giving away one pair per group. We were two groups behind the last group that got a pair.”
Minor, who was glad to be visiting during the unique occasion, planned to borrow Spencer’s glasses to take a peek. In Texas, the viewing experience would have been less than 75 percent coverage.
Phil and Diane Zeigler, of Beckley, were glad to share the experience together, no matter the coverage area.
“Since it may be our last chance to see it, we’re excited,” Phil said.
The two parked their foldable camp chairs under the shade of a pine tree at the park and held their glasses at the ready.
Folks looked intently up at the sky as the sunlight began to dim around 2:30 p.m.
A park ranger brought around a pair of viewing glasses, for anyone who didn’t have a pair of their own, to snag a peek.
Bieri said the National Park Service wanted to use the event as a way to educate the public, and show them what the park has to offer.
The NPS also offered a Junior Ranger program for area youth, who were invited to color, craft, learn from a demonstration and play games. Their participation earned them an “Eclipse Explorer” badge for the special event.
“They’re excited,” said Indy Bolen, who brought her four homeschooled children — Raven, 14; Sawyer, 10; Kirsten, 8; and Halli, 6 — to the Junior Ranger program and to experience the eclipse.
Halli sat beside Kirsten at a folding white table as they colored the solar system on a coloring sheet. They said they weren’t scared to see the eclipse; they were excited.
“It’s a big deal,” Bolen said. “They’re making memories together.”
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