The Town of Essex is getting in on the excitement related to the upcoming solar eclipse.
A free viewing event will be held on April 8 between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Colchester Harbour located at 100 Jackson Street.
It's being organized by the Arts, Culture, and Tourism Committee, and officials say this event will offer attendees the opportunity to witness this incredible phenomenon with the help of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
Much like local health officials, while they're expecting lots of people to show interest in the eclipse, Town of Essex officials are asking for residents to protect their eyes during the eclipse, avoid travel during the totality of the event, and stay informed about the latest developments.
Manager of Recreation and Culture Cynthia Cakebread says they're excited about having a great local spot to view the eclipse.
"Our Arts, Culture, and Tourism Committee has taken the lead on this event and has done a great job in securing some help from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. To come in, provide some guidance, direction, telescopes, answer questions and just be there in general to experience the event," she said.
Cakebread says they'll be located up on the sport court overlooking the harbour.
"There's viewing available throughout the park, down the hill, on the beach, and from the harbour itself. So we're really hoping for a great weather day, with sun before the eclipse. And we're also going to have a few of the ISO certified glasses available on hand for sale if anyone needs them at that point but very limited supplies."
She says they really don't know what to expect in terms of the amount of people that will come out, but they do know there has been a fairly good pickup of registration into some of the other events going on in the area.
"It's very hard to gauge it, there's no check in or pre-reservation. In discussions with our contacts at the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada they expect a fairly large number of people travelling from throughout the area, throughout the United States to this area because it's such a fantastic viewing spot," Cakebread said.
People looking to plan their visit, or view available municipal parking locations to take in the eclipse, can do so on the Town's website.
- with files from AM800's Rob Hindi