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On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will pass through communities across the U.S., beginning in Texas and ending in Maine. Many Main Street communities are within the path, and thanks to the Simons Foundation in partnership with Main Street America, 15 of them will receive $10,000 grants to create science engagement activities for residents and host visitors from around the world as the moon casts its shadow over their communities.
This In the Path of Totality initiative is intentionally designed for communities to actively engage residents with science. The program presents a unique opportunity for Main Streets to create meaningful and memorable experiences for community members, centered by the total solar eclipse.
“By providing bringing these Main Streets together and providing financial and capacity-building support to them and more, we’re helping ensure that people have an unforgettable shared experience," said Ivvet Modinou, Vice President of the Science, Society, & Culture Division at the Simons Foundation. “While the entire country will witness a partial eclipse on April 8, we’re focusing our efforts within the path of totality: the narrow strip of Earth that the moon will cast its shadow upon when it crosses the Sun’s orbit. We’re spotlighting towns — from Texas to Maine — that fall in this narrow path because we believe that everyone should have an opportunity to engage with science in a place they call home.”
In the Path of Totality: the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse from Science, Society & Culture at SF on Vimeo.
Learn about the grantees below.
Hillsboro Main Street Program
HILLSBORO, TX
Named by Astronomy Magazine as the seventh best location on Earth to view the 2024 total solar eclipse, Hillsboro, Texas, is excited to use the eclipse as an opportunity to put their community on the map, and showcase their unique way of life. In the days before the eclipse, and on April 8, Hillsboro will be hosting science engagement activities across the city’s parks, including telescope viewing. Hillsboro will also be hosting an event called Stars in Bars that focuses on three local bars — Wranglers, Branded Burger and Frenkie’s — in the downtown commercial district. Programming will include celestial-themed karaoke nights, astronomy and sci-fi trivia, and participatory science conversations. Other local events include a Star Party in the Park led by a retired astronomy ranger with the National Park Service and a mass viewing event on the day of the eclipse.
Malvern Downtown Development
MALVERN, AR
Eclipse Over Brick City is Malvern, Arkansas,’ flagship event that will engage and provide creative activities for the community to learn about the eclipse. In the weekend leading up to the eclipse, there will be outdoor space-themed movie events, a music festival that will feature science stations, and, on the day of the eclipse, a viewing event that will engage residents and inspire learning. Eclipse Over Brick City will impact residents positively by providing opportunities for engagement in the sciences, and interactive experiences for the community. Partners throughout the event include the Museum of Discovery, local civic clubs and Malvern’s local library.
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Main Street Pittsburg
PITTSBURG, TX
Pittsburg, Texas, is excited for the ability to experience and celebrate the 2024 solar eclipse with the community. Science engagement activities will take place as early as the month before the eclipse, helping residents learn more about what an eclipse is and preparing them to experience the cosmic event. On the day of the event, a dedicated viewing area with vendors, food and entertainment will be placed in downtown Pittsburg and will feature local businesses. Pittsburg’s partners include the City of Pittsburg, the County Library, the local community college and the Pittsburg Art Council.
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SoMa 501 Little Rock, Inc.
LITTLE ROCK, AR
Little Rock, Arkansas will be home to SoMa in the Dark — the town's eclipse celebration and an extension of the town's popular SoMa After Dark' series — and will feature an overarching theme of science-based engagement through the arts. Activities will include pop ups at local businesses, a nighttime parade through South Main Street, Astro Entertainment live performances, and a viewing event on the day of the eclipse. The activation will invite residents to imagine a new experience on Main Street and invite them to shape and participate in science-based activities leading up to and on display at the events.
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City of Eagle Pass
EAGLE PASS, TX
The City of Eagle Pass will be putting on a weekend-long concert/music festival on the weekend leading up to the solar eclipse, attracting locals to enjoy the festivities. The viewing of the eclipse will be held at the town’s Student Activity Center in Shelby Park, and Heavenly Farms, a local pecan farm. At both locations, solar eclipse glasses will be distributed. There will also be an arts activity and science exhibit located at the Arts and Culture Center in the Downtown District.
City of Granger
GRANGER, TX
Located in a small farming community, Granger, Texas, is excited to host a science fair that will include the local school and surrounding small towns that are similar in size to Granger (populations with less than 2,000 people). The eclipse is a chance to put this tight-knit community in the spotlight and bring science to the young and old of Granger.
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City of Mesquite Downtown Development
MESQUITE, TX
Downtown Mesquite will be the epicenter of Rodeo City Eclipse, Mesquite’s event series leading up to, and on, the day of the eclipse. Some events include the 66th Annual Mesquite Rodeo Parade and the opening day of the 2024 season of the Downtown Mesquite Farmers Market. Spread throughout will be science engagement activity booths, like make-and-take booths for the public to create pinhole viewing boxes. On the day of the eclipse, downtown Mesquite will be home to programming with live music, live art installations and community experiences that underscore community pride and the value of shared experience. Partners include the Mesquite Chamber of Commerce, downtown Mesquite businesses and local artists.
Main Street Morrilton
MORRILTON, AR
Main Street Morrilton has worked alongside the City of Morrilton, Conway County, the Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Conway County Economic Development Corporation to develop a dilapidated downtown site into multi-use outdoor event space that will serve as a hub for eclipse-related events. Educational programming will take place in the days leading up to, and during, the eclipse, and will be hosted by a team from NASA and Morrilton’s local community college. Local businesses will be invited to line Moose Street throughout the weekend, and local organizations will host interactive eclipse activities and entertainment.
Historic Downtown Sikeston
SIKESTON, MO
Sikeston, Missouri, will be hosting a full weekend of events leading up to the day of the eclipse, featuring activities that will all take place in the downtown commercial district. Activities include telescope viewing throughout downtown Sikeston, a collaborative program between the organization Animal Tales and the local library to discuss the effects of the eclipse on nocturnal animals. Other partners include the Historic Midtown Development Group, the Parks Department, the Sikeston Regional Chamber and the Sikeston’s Visitor Center.
Main Street Brookville, Inc.
BROOKVILLE, IN
Main Street Brookville is honored to host Eclipse: In the Path of Totality — Brookville’s first science-based festival. On the day of the eclipse, the event, held on Brookville’s historic main street, will take place, and will feature science stations organized by the local middle and high schools with a focus on the sky, a science-based window competition for local businesses, and a community-grown mural at ColorWorks, Brookville’s local greenhouse. The event will incorporate hands-on engagement to show science is for everyone and create lasting learning opportunities for community residents in the hours leading up to and culminating in the total eclipse event.
Houlton Downtown Renaissance Committee {under the Town of Houlton}
HOULTON, ME
As the last place in the United States where the eclipse can be viewed, the Houlton Downtown Renaissance Committee (HDRC) is excited at the opportunity to experience the 2024 eclipse and expose local residents to this cosmic event. HDRC plans to develop unique activities to engage the community with science in the days leading up to, on the day-of and after the day of the eclipse. Some of these activities include building a giant pair of functional solar viewing glasses that will be set up in different areas around the community and science performances produced by a Maine-based science enrichment program and held at the John Millar Civic Center. The town of Houlton will also be partnering with New York Read more
North Vernon Main Street
NORTH VERNON, IN
North Vernon will be hosting a two-day festival called Explore the Dark SolarFest that centers around eclipse science, art and nature with the aim of spurring curiosity and interest in science for the local youth and adults in their rural farming community. Throughout the festival, there will be a wide variety of science engagement activities that include eclipse scavenger hunts, a creative science show by local youth, lunch and learns, and a community science mural. Some of North Vernon Main Street’s partners include the Jennings County Public Library, Jennings County Schools, Perceptions Yoga and the Park Theatre Civic Centre, as well as local businesses and artists.
Beautiful Paducah (with Paducah Main Street)
PADUCAH, KY
Paducah Main Street and Beautiful Paducah will be organizing a two-day total solar eclipse community festival from Sunday, April 7 to Monday, April 8, 2024 in the heart of Paducah’s historic downtown district. Having already experienced the 2017 total solar eclipse, Paducah is excited to create an all-encompassing and immersive experience centered around this “twice” in a life-time natural science phenomenon. Some activities include a children’s and adult eclipse and science trivia scavenger hunt that takes participants around community landmarks and local businesses, and public programs hosted by the River Discovery Center, Paducah’s local museum located in the heart of the festival. Other community partners include local organizations and businesses.
Main Street Kent
KENT, OH
The excitement is building as Main Street Kent prepares for a blackout Kent, Ohio, will never forget! The Kent Event: Total Eclipse 2024 will take place over a three-day period from Saturday, April 6 to Monday, April 8, 2024, and will include many different science engagement activities, such as the unveiling of a community-created, permanent art mural celebrating the Kent Total Solar Eclipse. There will also be an immersive learning experience at the Kent State University Planetarium, displays and kiosks spread throughout the downtown district with information about the local eclipse events, and educational information on eclipses. Main Street Kent’s local partners include Kent State University, the Kent Parks and Recreation Department, and local businesses in downtown Kent.
Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization
JACKSON, MO
The Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization (UJRO) are partnering with local organizations to ensure the total eclipse in Jackson, Missouri, provides a meaningful and memorable experience for its residents. “Total Eclipse of the Heartland” will take place in Uptown Jackson and will include science activities led by STEM classrooms of local schools that will invite audiences of all ages to stoke their curiosity. UJRO will also be partnering with organizations like the Jackson Community Outreach Board, local schools and libraries, the Cape Girardeau County History Center, and many other organizations to ensure a great experience for all.
For more on the Simons Foundation’s In the Path of Totality initiative with communities and partners across the country, visit the website here.
For more on Main Street America’s In the Path of Totality resources, visit the grant program webpage here.