JAY — The Great American Eclipse Party will be held April 8 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at French Falls Park in Jay.

The solar eclipse event, which is open to the public is sponsored by Jay Recreation Committee, Androscoggin Land Trust and Spruce Mountain High School Envirothon teams. The schedule for the afternoon is:

2:30 – 3 p.m. Guided eclipse hike: walk the French Falls Trails as the moon begins to shadow the Sun.

3 – 4 p.m. Watch as the eclipse reaches its maximum at 3:31 p.m. Bring a flashlight – it will get dark. Learn about the moon and space: demonstrations and activities run by SMHS Envirothon members.

4 – 4:30 p.m. Enjoy the beauty of French Falls Park as darkness turns back to light.

Special glasses, which should be worn during the event are being sold as a fundraiser for the Envirothon teams, Rob Taylor, advisor and member of the Jay Recreation Committee, told the Livermore Falls Advertiser on Thursday, March 14. The glasses, $4 a pair are available at the Jay Town Office and the SMHS office or from Taylor, co-advisor Ken Baker or any Envirothon team member, he said.

“Every student in Regional School Unit 73 is getting a pair on April 8,” Taylor said. “We want them to get them that day so they will have them on the bus because the eclipse will be starting on the bus ride home.”

Students in the 21st Century afterschool program will be going to the event, Taylor stated.

Notices will be sent home to parents about eclipse safety, he noted. “We want people to be aware that the kids will have them and how to use them,” he stated. “There are a few safety rules.”

The glasses should be put on before looking at the sun, Taylor said. “You don’t look at the sun and then put the glasses on,” he stressed. “It is best to look away, put them on and then turn and look.”

Only properly rated glasses should be worn during the eclipse, he stated. “Some people have asked me about using welders’ masks,” Taylor noted. “You can, but you need a number 14 or darker glass and not all welders’ glass is number 14. It is really important that you know your eye protection, that it is rated properly.”

The glasses being sold by Envirothon have paper frames, Taylor said. “Holding the glasses to your temple  is recommended while you are watching as they can blow off,” he noted. “We are technically just outside the band of totality. Our recommendation is that you don’t take the glasses off at all, should wear them the entire time.”

 

In the actual band of totality, there is a very small window during the total eclipse when the glasses may be taken off, Taylor said. “Just to be on the safe side, we are recommending that you wear them through the event.”

Taylor spoke of a news story he saw that morning about a lady from Vermont who remembers the last eclipse that happened in Vermont in the 1930s. He thinks the last total eclipse in Maine was in the 1940s.

He also shared a link from timeanddate.com which has information and shows a simulation video of the solar eclipse in North Jay.

On March 6, a workshop for all RSU 73 staff was held at the high school. Taylor said he and Michael Morrell did a presentation on the eclipse, the moon, some of the science behind everything. “Then we did break out session that went really well,” he noted. “It gave teachers a chance to see how to incorporate things about the eclipse into different content areas and grade levels.”

The hope is that students in all grade levels learn something about the eclipse prior to it happening, Taylor said. “It is one of those really big teachable moments,” he noted. “I am really glad that the district is taking advantage of it because it is a once in a lifetime experience for kids.”

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