A Monday in Maine that eclipsed expectations
By BDN Editorial Board
Anticipation was already sky-high across a large swath of Maine ahead of Monday, April 8’s total solar eclipse. Bolstered by a fortuitous day of near-perfect weather, this “once-in-a-lifetime” event managed to deliver on the significant hype leading up to it.
For many, this brief dance between the sun and moon actually exceeded expectations. Even some of the more skeptical eclipse viewers were struck by the gravity of the moment.
Flor Rivera traveled from Boston to Houlton with family to see the first total solar eclipse in Maine since 1963. Earlier in the day, she seemed less enthusiastic about the rare event than other members of her family.
“We traveled six hours north to see the moon for three minutes,” she said from the parking lot of the Houlton Walmart, as reported by the Bangor Daily News. “It’s the same moon we see in Boston.”
Some things you just have to experience for yourself. After the moon spent those roughly three minutes completely shrouding the sun, Rivera had a somewhat brighter view of the journey.
“Oh my God, oh my God,” she said. “It’s beautiful, it’s so beautiful. Never in my life have I experienced anything like this. I’m so happy I listened to my son and came. It was worth the trip.”
We expect this to be a fairly common reaction to Monday’s uncommon event. Even with undoubted complications, like the swelling crowds and ensuing traffic that many experienced when heading home on some smaller roads, we’d venture a guess that appreciation for the experience well overshadowed the frustrations.
Those complications couldn’t crowd out the inescapable magic of the moon and sun joining forces to astound those watching.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” 11-year-old Tristan Rainbow declared in Millocket as the sunshine returned. “My life is changed!”
The magic wasn’t confined to the “Magic City.” In the mountains of western Maine, an editorial writer was lucky enough to have the day off, and the company of family and friends, as the total eclipse immediately but briefly transported an afternoon crowd to night. It was as if a 360-degree sunset stretched around the horizon. The sun disappeared, the air chilled, and the crowd cheered.
For those few minutes, the energy radiating from the large group of people gathered felt as important as the eclipse itself. It became as much about who you witnessed the event with, not only what you witnessed.
Elsewhere, in Houlton, Emma Spangler explained what it was like to watch the eclipse with her mother, Kelly Spangler.
“To experience this here with my mom makes it really special,” Emma Spangler said.
The eclipse was not just a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of celestial bodies, but also a reminder of the wonderful (if impermanent) intersection of the lives of those watching it together: The grandmother and grandson whose earthly orbits overlap beautifully, if too briefly. The mother and daughter who magnify a special moment by spending it together.
The eclipse also helped turn strangers into friends, building new bonds and connecting people who might only be passing through each other’s lives for an instant.
“The best part of the eclipse is the people I’ve met,” Sharon Duffield of Falmouth told the BDN about watching the eclipse in Greenville. “It’s a real community, and I love that feeling.”
The total eclipse was a sight to behold, but above all, it was a moment to be shared. That even goes for the traffic. We expect the entire eclipse experience will be burned into the memories, and hopefully not the retinas, of everyone lucky enough to have experienced it.