August 23, 2017 at 4:16 p.m.
eclipsed
Rare event awes residents
eclipsed
By Kayla Thomason-
In the Northwoods, the Rhinelander District Library was a popular gathering place for eclipse-watchers, who happily shared the special protective glasses so everyone could experience the phenomenon.
Through the dark lenses, the moon could be seen overlapping the bottom three-fourths of the sun, leaving a golden crescent visible.
Marshal Durkee, 9, was wowed by the experience.
"I think it's the coolest thing I've ever seen," he said.
His mother, Dana Durkee, was thrilled to share this unique event with her children.
"I'm ecstatic to be able to witness this in my lifetime," she said, adding that she remembers using paper plates to see a partial eclipse in the '70s.
"These (eclipse glasses) are quite amazing to be able to just look directly up and see it," Durkee said. "It's thrilling."
She appreciated that the library gave out the glasses for free.
"I think that was really giving because they (the glasses) are extremely hard to come by," Durkee said. "I had a girlfriend give these (glasses) to us."
She was going to be joined by her daughter to see the eclipse, and was happy to be able to share this experience with her children.
Dr. Nick Boismenue, was awestruck by the eclipse.
"(It's) awesome, just nothing short of awesome," he said.
Boismenue saw a partial in the '60s, but thought the experience was more enjoyable this year.
"(It was a) very wonderful experience," he said. "But then it was focusing through the pinhole, nobody had these glasses and film pieces."
Georgia (Caldwell) Zanskas came home for a reunion of the Rhinelander High School Class of 1967 and capped off her visit by watching the eclipse.
"This is a perfect way to cap it off," she said. "I think it's something that is really wonderful and it's not going to happen for a long time."
She's seen partials before and was delighted to see some children come out for the rare experience.
"I think it's wonderful, my daughter teaches kindergarten, she's out with her class right now in Indiana," she said.
Zanskas also remembers how she viewed the last eclipse.
"I remember having little cardboard boxes with a hole in it," she shared, adding that the glasses made it an even better experience. "I think they're awesome, I think they're wonderful, it makes it so much more fun and safer."
She also thanked the library for giving out the safety glasses for free.
"I think it's wonderful, a lot of public libraries provided them free around the country and that's exactly how it should be," she said, noting that there were fake glasses circulating but people know libraries are a reputable source.
Staff at the library said the public was quick to pick up the glasses after they became available on Aug. 11 and since then reference questions about the solar eclipse have been heavily searched.
"It's been really busy all morning, people are calling constantly wanting glasses still, but we've had a couple of laptops up live-streaming and lots of crowds coming in to check it out," said Sarah Steinbacher, adult services supervisor.
Virginia Roberts, director of the Rhinelander District Library, was surprised there were some libraries that either didn't have glasses or didn't have the eclipse streaming.
"It's pretty exciting to see this kind of turnout I mean we have lots of free- and nearly-free things at the library so I wish people would realize that when they come to the library they can check out books for free, they can check out movies for free. We have books they can just take out, they don't even need to have a membership," she said. "So it's a little interesting to see them come flocking for free glasses but they don't come for the free other stuff."
Roberts knows several people who have taken advantage of the eclipse and turned it into a little vacation by traveling to the "totality" areas.
The next solar eclipse in the U.S. will be April 8, 2024.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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