Gladden, Hempstead Hall’s Director, and Akili Israel-Moses, Director of Business, Industry and Continuing Education learned from those who coordinated events in the 2017 eclipse’s path of totality. “We heard very early on different reports from states that participated heavily in the 2017 total eclipse that a lot of preparation and planning was needed for an event like this.”
Another clue that early preparation was key came from a report from a state agency. “We even heard reports from State Department of Transportation Arkansas Department transportation, than the state of Arkansas was expecting between two and two and a half million extra visitors that day. So since we are in the path of totality, we are expecting somewhere between 1,500 to 2,000 people just at our one campus.”
Meetings that began to take place every other month, Gladden said, have now increased in frequency, since the year began, to every other week. But Gladden has also heard from veterans of the 2017 eclipse’s totality zone that as much as you can prepare, there are always surprises.
Gladden said the weather April 8th could change the calculus on how many people might come to UAHT. “For instance, if it's cloudy around Hot Springs, but we have clear skies here, we can expect to see more people travel south for the eclipse.”
Gladden and Israel-Moses have attended two online meetings with National Aeronautics and Space Administration representatives as part of their own education process and have consulted web-based scientific sources as well. “One [meeting] was here at Hempstead Hall, and the other was in Benton. We've attended both of those, as well as different resources that have been put out online by places like NASA and the San Francisco Exploratorium. Both of those sites have very good information about the eclipse and safety and health concerns.”
With regard to public safety and health, Gladden said UAHT has ordered 2,000 pairs of protective glasses which will be offered on the day of the eclipse first come, first serve. There will also be emergency personnel present. “We're going to have the [Hempstead County] Office of Emergency Management out here with their mobile command unit. And we are in the process of coordinating with some of the volunteer fire departments, so they have a presence here as well.”
On April 8th on the UAHT Hope campus, education stations will be set up (from the UA Extension Office and the Wellness Alliance) and at least four food trucks will be present with other vendors likely to come. “We've got a couple of our student groups that are planning on coming out and doing fundraisers. The Multicultural Student Association is wanting to sell souvenir and goodie bags. We've got some other groups that are planning things. Again, I don't want to talk out of turn because they're still in the early planning stages,” Gladden said.
Because some schools in the area will not hold classes April 8th, activities for children will be a part of UAHT’s Solar Express, too, Gladden said. “The name of our event out here is Solar Express, which takes into account you know that our mascot is the Iron Horse. So it's got a whole train theme that we're going for. We are trying to run one of those backyard trains. We have the side by side and it's pulling the cars behind it. We've got a little loop that they can do out here on the walking track.”
Gladden said a lot of volunteers from the college and other organizations will be involved but that more would be welcome. “Anyone who wishes to volunteer, we are encouraging them to do so. Again, we've never done an event like this. So we really don't know what to expect. But from all the reports from 2017 state committees, for instance, from Wisconsin and Wyoming and places like that, that had this eclipse back then, they said that all of the planning that they did was not adequate. They said that this was both the best and the worst event that they had ever done. So we are trying our best to prepare for this. We are preparing to be unprepared.”
Those wanting to volunteer can call the UAHT’s main line at 1-870-722-8565 or send an email to [email protected].
The campus’s eclipse celebration will start at 10:00 a.m. April 8th and continue until 4:00 p.m. On its website, UAHT has placed the poster for the event and a link to a list of items to bring to campus to make your and your family’s experience safe and comfortable as well as memorable over a lifetime, or at least until the next total eclipse comes to Arkansas on August 12 of 2045.