DailyMaill.com attended a ‘blackout party’ during a solar eclipse in Dallas, where families traveled up to 2,000 miles to see the whole thing – including grandmother, 80, who checked off the bucket list item
The Weeknd’s “Blinded by the Light” played in the background as Dallas’ 77 degree Celsius suddenly cooled and darkened.
Then everything went black.
The giggling and chattering of young children who had traveled with relatives, some from thousands of miles away, quieted down.
As the moon masked the sun, he appeared like a black ball surrounded by white fire – something astronomers call a ‘diamond ring’.
Even though I was fascinated by its beauty, I grabbed my solar eclipse glasses and looked around.
Little girls stood on the green grass with their mouths open in aweParents hugged their little ones and couples hugged each other as they all looked up at the sky.
The eclipse reached its total in Dallas, Texas at 1:40 PM CDT and left viewers in awe as the sky darkened
Families gathered to watch the eclipse and three young girls’ jaws dropped as the moon eclipsed the sun. Just minutes earlier, they expressed concern that cloud cover would obscure their view of the eclipse
Couples stood side by side to watch the start of the eclipse when excitement erupted and people started clapping as the DJ announced there were only 10 minutes left before totality was reached
The eclipse lasted about four minutes, but the wait was difficult for some eager to witness this unique event.
Millions of people ventured along the “path of totality,” where the moon completely blocked the sun, starting in Mexico and passing through Texas, from where the moon traveled to New England and ended in Canada.
I was planning to go to a street party in Dallas that was expected to draw thousands of people in the area.
But then I panicked when I arrived 40 minutes before the event to find a ghost town.
Many of the events were abruptly canceled due to fears of storms in the state.
I quickly found an open-air venue, The Hub, and discovered that there was a much smaller crowd there, but a more personal ‘blackout party’ taking place.
While the hundreds of people in Dallas came from all walks of life, they all gathered to watch the event take place.
California resident Luanne Tesoriero was so proud that she could still travel despite being 80 years old.
Ava Herrera (pictured) said she was excited to see this “once-in-a-lifetime” event, acknowledging that it won’t happen in Dallas for another 300 years. She said it is “very important to look at unique events like the solar eclipse because ‘we have to live our lives to the fullest’
About three million people gathered along the path of totality in Texas, including 400,000 travelers
She was inspired to make the trip to Dallas when her son saw a solar eclipse from the top of a mountain while hiking several decades ago.
Her son showed her the edge of the shadows decades ago and watched the animals become very quiet. He told Tesoriero that it was an incredibly powerful experience.
Lily Dran traveled from Toronto to watch the eclipse with her sister and friends, while local resident Maria Herrera picked up her children from school so they could be together to watch the event take place.
Herrera’s daughter, Ava Herrera, took the chance to tell me how excited she was about seeing the solar eclipse, calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity.
“It’s so amazing that I get to experience this,” Ava said, adding, “Because it’s the last time in 300 years that this will be in Dallas.
“The feeling of seeing the solar eclipse is something that will never leave my body and that I will never forget!”
She proclaimed that it is “very important to look at unique events like the solar eclipse because we need to live our lives to the fullest!”
(From left to right) Anna, Ava and Mia shared their excitement about being part of the solar eclipse viewing party
Ava Herrera (fourth from right) stands with her mother, Maria, who came to enjoy watching the solar eclipse with their family and friends
Kimberly Nguyen and her husband Luan brought their daughter Emma (left) to view the eclipse, along with their sister Cindy Nguyen (front right) and her friend Lily Dran (back right) who traveled from Toronto, Ontario to view the eclipse
(From left to right) Lilliana Atencio, Erick DA’ Costa, Stefano DA’ Costa and Paola Sosa traveled from Costa Rica to view the solar eclipse from Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, Texas
“This is a feeling that will never leave my body,” Ava continued.
The event started at 12:23 PM CT in Texas, and the whole thing started at 1:40 PM CT and lasted almost four minutes.
Music played as families settled on picnic tables and children ran on a grassy hill to play soccer
A few minutes before the eclipse began, warnings sounded, causing everyone to excitedly put on their sunglasses.
At the same time, more than a hundred people at The Hub in Dallas started cheering and jumping up and down when they got a good look at the diamond.
That was very different from a few hours earlier, when the crowd seemed restless and claimed it was taking too long to get going.
After my time at The Hub I went to one The community park in downtown Dallas was also filled with families, some traveling from nearly 2,000 miles away to see the eclipse.
Erick Da’Costa and his family flew about 2,000 miles from Costa Rica last week to be in the best spot in the country to view the solar eclipse.
They planned their trip a year and a half ago, and for Erick, his wife Paola Sosa and his mother Lilliana Atencio, it was the second time they had seen a total solar eclipse – the first was at their home in 1991.
The Da’Costa family said this eclipse was no different, but they were still excited to be a part of it.
But Erik’s sons, Jhonathan Jimenez and Stefano, said April 8 was the first time they saw a solar eclipse and it was unlike anything they had ever seen.
“The feeling, the place, the people… It was just amazing,” Jimenez said.
He also called the eclipse “amazing” and “surreal,” adding that “it was just crazy” to witness firsthand.
Although it was Atencio’s second time seeing the cosmic wonder, she said it was just as amazing seeing it a second time with her son Erik.
Another solar eclipse party was held Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas.
The area had an eventful atmosphere as families from across the country and around the world gathered to stand shoulder to shoulder for the solar eclipse.