It isn’t a party unless an eclipse party.
Mercy Hospital-Perry, along with Perry County Heritage Tourism will host the Perryville Solarfest from April 6-8. The events will help celebrate the Total Solar Eclipse, which will take place on April 8.
Perryville residents will have the opportunity to view the Missouri National Veterans Memorial from a different point of view during Solarfest.
People will have the pleasure of seeing a balloon show and tether rides starting at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 6 at the MNVM grounds. There will also by a Balloon Glow Show Saturday, April 6th at 7:30 p.m. There will be 6 balloons, with one honoring POW/MIAs named Freedom Flight IV. Barb Fricke, a Perryville native and graduate of St. Vincent High School will help give tether rides for about 90 minutes as long as the weather permits. The tether rides are about 5-6 minutes and take people about 50 feet in the air. Fricke is an acclaimed hot air and gas balloon pilot who has achieved many accolades and awards in the sport.
“Tethered balloon rides means the balloon will be tied off to three lines to keep it in a large area where we will be at the Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial,” Fricke said. “We have planned this for early morning, since that is when the winds are usually at the calmest.
Sundial Ceremony
There will also be am event to remember the eclipses forever. A monument on the Perry County Courthouse lawn will be getting an addition.
There was a eclipse sundial constructed near the courthouse to commemorate the first solar eclipse in August 2017. There was a plaque placed on the sundial to celebrate the event.
There will be a similar event this time around as well. A second plaque will be placed on the sundial and a small ceremony will be held with an unveiling Saturday, April 6 at 10 a.m. at the Perry County Courthouse.
“There will be two plaques on the sundial,” Perry County Heritage Tourism Director Trish Erzfeld said. “We had the sundial designed in such a way to hold two plaques in part because we knew this second one was coming. Perry County is one of very few locations in the United States to experience two total solar eclipses. This is very rare and we wanted something to remember it by.”
Not only can people learn about the total solar eclipse during Solarfest, they can also learn about other planetary phenomenon.
The Sky Dome Planetarium will host several shows during Solarfest at the Perry Park Center gym on April 6. The Planetarium will host five 45-minute shows starting at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
There is a limit of 75 people per show at $3 per ticket.
“It’s geared toward a younger audience,” Perry County Heritage Tourism Director Trish Erzfeld said. “But, I’m sure everyone that goes and sees a show will come out of there learning something new.”
The shows are centered around the night sky in the Northern Hemisphere and people can learn more about constellations and star gazing on this side of the world. A presenter with the use of a digital planetarium projector and a laser pointer, will guide people through the stars of the Northern Hemisphere exactly as they appear on the day of the presentation.
Attendees will learn how to identify every planet in our solar system
Hemman Winery will have a special wine release for the total solar eclipse this year.
“We did the same thing the first time around in 2017 and it went over really well,” owner Bonnie Hemman said. “We made it again for this eclipse and we won’t make it again.”
The wine is a vintage age and is called “Totality,” Hemman hopes it goes over well again in 2024.
“The label is very neat and has the date of the eclipse on it,” she said. “I guess you could call it a collector’s item. I’m hoping people drink it and enjoy it.”
