CARBONDALE, Ill. — Kevin Morefield has traveled the world chasing total solar eclipses.
The one he saw in Australia was a perfect day with clear skies. Chile’s mountainous backdrop created an iconic scene. Norway, near the North Pole, provided an eclipse just off the horizon that painted the snowy landscape in a beautiful pink hue.
But, the Portland-based astrophotographer didn’t have to go far from Murphysboro — the rural southern Illinois town he grew up in — to add an eighth eclipse to his book.
“This time, I’m going to be a little more relaxed about photography,” he said in a Carbondale art gallery where some of his eclipse photographs are displayed. “We’re going to do it in the backyard with 14 relatives, be able to experience it together with them and help them understand what’s happening.”
Officials at the City of Carbondale, approximately two hours southeast of St. Louis, anticipate approximately 50,000 people will descend on the college town to experience this year’s total solar eclipse, dwarfing their population of about 21,700. A local airport is even expecting more than 200 planes to fly in for the event.
This astronomical show will be the community’s second in seven years and this time, the community will get a little more than 4 minutes in the moon’s shadow — almost double the length of time than the prior.
“This area is special,” said Eva Fisher, the City of Carbondale’s spokeswoman. “It’s filled with a lot of quirky creative people. So, the energy of having this eclipse twice here, it just feels right for Carbondale.”
The influx of tourism is a much-welcomed boost in revenue for many smaller towns in rural parts of southern Illinois and Missouri. During the last total solar eclipse, the Illinois Office of Tourism estimates that 200-thousand people traveled to the southern part of the state which had a spending impact of as much as $18 million.
![Leah Maciell, 46, decorates eclipse cookies on Thursday, April 4, 2024, at her bakery Cristaudo's in Carbondale, Ill. "We were not prepared for all the cookie orders that we had in 2017," she said, noting the small bakery along Carbondale's downtown has received orders for hundreds of cookies around this year’s celestial spectacle. "We basically had chefs [baking] cookies, 24/7, for the five days leading up to the eclipse."](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fcf35c7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F82%2Ffb%2F886109bc4376bacbfcccc82056d0%2F040724-bm-eclipse-1.JPG)
Local business owners say they look forward to the regional economic boom after learning several lessons during the first go-around.
“We’re ready to host. We’re ready to show what southern hospitality is and we’re ready to go,” said Jason Buehner, owner of The Printing Plant — a small print shop nestled next to a college bar on Carbondale’s main drag. “We are very proud of what we do and we want to be able to showcase that to people that are visiting.”
Andrea Nelson thumbed through eclipse-themed apparel at The Printing Plant as she called out to her friend Anita. “Oh you have to see this one!” she exclaimed while holding a stack of black T-shirts with various eclipse-themed graphics on them.
The pair decided to ditch the idea of a cruise and instead celebrate Nelson’s 70th birthday by making a 12.5-hour trek to Carbondale from St. Paul, Minnesota, to experience their second eclipse. They watched the 2017 spectacle in a Chillicothe, Missouri schoolyard.
“We’re staying in a university dorm and most of us are not college-age,” she chuckled. “I definitely am investing in my life now and experiences instead of stuff, although I did buy a few T-shirts.”
Planning for tens of thousands of tourists, like Nelson, is no easy feat. But, it’s the endeavor that Sarah VanVooren is co-leading at Southern Illinois University alongside Bob Baer, the school’s physics professor and eclipse czar.
The college is planning to host a capacity crowd of 15,000 eclipse enthusiasts, researchers, staff and media at their football stadium for a guided presentation through the celestial spectacle. While the university’s 2017 stadium show was cursed with clouds, current predictions seem favorable.
As the forecasts change in the south, VanVooren’s office has seen an uptick in last-minute ticket sales. She expects them to sell out seating at Saluki Stadium.
“Weather in April is iffy and can change daily,” she said. “There are people who are eclipse chasers and they will change their plans last minute to really go where [good] weather is.”
Morefield, the astrophotographer, said while weather can be unpredictable, he suggests staying optimistic while enjoying the company of the people you’re with.
“The beauty of the eclipses is that there’s no danger. It’s just beautiful. It’s wrong and it’s so right all at the same time,” he said. “You find people from around the world. Everyone is there for the same reason — and nobody’s unhappy.”
Nelson echoed Morefield’s sentiments, emphasizing the need for more unity than divisiveness in society.
“I wanted to experience [the eclipse] again because, in this chaotic time where we live, there are very few things that everyone pauses and experiences,” she said. “We need so much more of that in this world right now.”
