As a total solar eclipse passed over Vermont on Monday afternoon, the headline we sought at VTDigger was not “moon blocks sun.” Instead, we tried to answer the questions: How are humans in Vermont reacting to this celestial event — a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for most of us? And how can we be helpful, whether it’s conveying the latest weather forecast, safety advice or traffic updates, or connecting umbraphiles even as they gathered across the state?
Indeed, as predicted, the moon did block the sun shortly before 3:30 p.m., when St. Albans streetlights flickered and a lighthouse on Lake Champlain briefly activated. (To prove it, we carried ORCA Media’s video livestream, which you can rewatch here.)
But also as predicted, it was the human experiences that shone most brightly, whether it was science-lovers geeking out, travelers rerouting to Vermont last minute, or families enjoying the event across multiple generations. You are continuing to share your stories of the day at our submissions page. The beauty of it all was unmissable, as captured in our photo gallery.
Less beautiful, of course, was the traffic. To convey the most important safety updates and the reports from the roads, we stood up a rolling blog where readers could quickly sift through the most consequential updates, which we are continuing to monitor on Monday night.
Did you miss some of our coverage? We don’t blame you! Our reporters appeared to be everywhere at once, and you had a bit of eclipse-gazing to do. Our roundup of dispatches on Monday includes:
- St. Albans buzzes as eclipse-watchers converge — Around 11 a.m, traffic — both pedestrians and vehicles — was picking up in downtown St. Albans. The Franklin County city lies directly in the path of totality for Monday’s solar eclipse, and organizers here have been preparing for thousands of visitors for months. (11:24 a.m.)
- As customers throng, Montpelier barista recalls her last eclipse in Colombia — At Rabble-Rouser Chocolate and Craft Co., the line stretched nearly to the door Monday morning, as newcomers thronged State and Main streets in the sun — waiting for it to disappear in the total solar eclipse in the afternoon. (11:36 a.m.)
- In Vermont from Cape Cod, professor excited to shift perspective during eclipse — Jeff Schell, 54, a professor at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, drove north on Sunday from Cape Cod to see the eclipse. (11:53 a.m.)
- California family reroutes eclipse-viewing plans from Texas to Vermont — Sunil Vemuri is about to catch the third eclipse of his life. A product manager at Google, the Bay Area resident had made plans early to watch the eclipse with his family — but changed course last minute. (12:10 p.m.)
- Standing room only at Glover’s tiny diner — It was standing room only inside The Busy Bee Diner in Glover just after 11 a.m. on Monday, with people from around New England and beyond hoping for a table either inside the tiny Northeast Kingdom eatery or outside under the warm sun. (12:33 p.m.)
- With Dunkin the dog, duo readies for eclipse-viewing in St. Albans — Two neighbors from Waltham, Massachusetts, said they arrived early in downtown St. Albans on Monday morning — around 9:30 a.m. — to secure what they hope is the best spot to capture photos of the afternoon’s total solar eclipse. (12:50 p.m.)
- Father relishes intergenerational eclipse-viewing in Montpelier — In front of the Statehouse around noon on Monday, families staked out their patch of grass with lawn chairs and blankets. (12:56 p.m.)
- UVM student’s outfit is ‘personification of the eclipse’ — Of all the people gathered on Burlington’s waterfront to watch the eclipse, perhaps none was as dressed as well as Bella Moore. (1:22 p.m.)
- For 3-year-old eclipse-watcher, ‘it gets super exciting’ — The eclipse is soon to be a tri-generational affair for the Carlson and Johnston families, who were stationed just before noon at the park next to the Marbleworks complex, which looks out across the Middlebury Falls. (1:40 p.m.)
- ‘Sense of awe’: Mother and daughter briefly link up in Vermont for eclipse — Kathi Faulkner and her daughter Meghan Faulkner hung out in a CR-V at the dog park parking lot at Wheeler Nature Park at 1 p.m. (2:02 p.m.)
- Spur-of-the-moment science lesson in St. Albans — When he traveled to South Carolina in 2017 to view that year’s total solar eclipse, Rodney Cole said the view he was hoping for ended up largely obscured by clouds. Standing in downtown St. Albans around midday Monday, Cole said he was feeling far better about the viewing conditions slated for the afternoon. (2:06 p.m.)
- As Beatles tunes play, 3 generations ready for eclipse on Montpelier hilltop — The Beatles’ “I’ll Follow the Sun” played softly over the lawn of the Vermont College of Fine Arts just after 1 p.m. The mood was relaxed away from the busyness of downtown, even sleepy, as eclipse-watchers waited for the big event. (2:24 p.m.)
- Despite shorter totality window, Middlebury bustles ahead of eclipse — Downtown Middlebury was bustling midday on Monday. People congregated at a park with Adirondack chairs in the center of town, in shops and on the pedestrian bridge that connects downtown and the Marbleworks complex over the Otter Creek river. (2:32 p.m.)
- Viewing conditions nearly perfect in Burlington for eclipse — It’s hard to imagine better eclipse-viewing conditions than those in Vermont’s Queen City on Monday afternoon. (2:45 p.m.)
- ‘Why not’: With dog in tow, Williamstown father and son seek out eclipse — Dan Clowes, 48, and his son Dylan, 14, contemplated setting up eclipse-watching camp closer to the heart of the Middlebury College Campus shortly before 2 afternoon as they shared a snack under a tree at the western edge of the campus. (2:45 p.m.)
- Eclipse-viewers converge on Lake Memphremagog in Newport — For those in know, or the truly committed to finding a bluebird sky for the total solar eclipse, Newport’s Prouty Beach and Campground, abutting Lake Memphremagog, was the place to be. (2:59 p.m.)
- Happy to watch the eclipse at home in Berlin — As eclipse-watchers converged on Vermont from faraway places and rerouted flights from the South to catch a better glimpse, Lisa and Rick Durkee sat ready in their lawn chairs in their garage on Monday afternoon. (3:26 p.m.)
- At Bread and Puppet Theater, participants release their ‘heavy burdens’ during the eclipse — At Bread and Puppet Theater’s farm deep in the Northeast Kingdom, hundreds gathered in a snowy field for a participatory ritual performance marking the total solar eclipse on Monday. (4:26 p.m.)
- Path of totality provokes chills — literally and figuratively — in Essex Junction — Andy Hayden and Ikue Suzuki watched the eclipse together in Hayden’s backyard in Essex Junction, expressing lots of “wows” as the sun disappeared and then slid back out. (4:36 p.m.)
- After gathering for eclipse, St. Albans crowds begin to disperse — About a half-hour after totality, a crowd that had swelled to well over a thousand people at Taylor Park in downtown St. Albans was thinning out as people began to head home. (4:53 p.m.)
- ‘One of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen in my lifetime’ — In the aftermath of the totality of the eclipse on Monday afternoon, most viewers on the Burlington waterfront departed quickly. But some lingered, awestruck, in the returning sunlight. (5:39 p.m.)
- Middlebury scientists revel in their first total solar eclipse — While many of the solar eclipse viewers that attended a Middlebury College campus-wide viewing event trickled away from the event and back to their daily routines only moments after totality, Astronomy Professor Eilat Glikman and her daughter Navah, 15, were two among the smattering who stayed put. (5:49 p.m.)
- Eclipse’s ‘moment of transition’ spent with family, strangers and in thoughtful solitude — As the eclipse festival put on by the sustainability group Common Roots continued at Wheeler Nature Park, program director Kayli O’Donnell headed to the nearby gardens in order to experience the total solar eclipse in solitude. (6:12 p.m.)
Of course, we can only launch such a massive reporting effort — which included 17 reporters, editors and photographers on Monday, plus the handiwork of our talented product design director, Taylor Haynes, and contributions from all our colleagues — with your support. Please consider contributing to this type of coverage today.
We hope you enjoyed the eclipse on Monday. We’ll see you for the next one!
