DAYTON, Ohio — On April 8, several major cities in Ohio are in the path of totality during the solar eclipse. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to visit the Buckeye State, and costs are going up.
In Dayton, hotel prices are up more than $100 for the night of April 8, and the cost for flights keeps on climbing. When it comes to watching the eclipse, it comes down to personal preference.
Many will be viewing it from large free watch parties, others from their backyards, and some will use it as a way to give back to a favorite charity or their community.
At Sunwatch Indian Village in Dayton, it’s not just going to be a party, but it’s a major fundraiser to help preserve ancient history.
“Sunwatch is an 800-year-old Native American site located along the banks of the Great Miami,” said Taylor Hoffman with the Dayton Society of Natural History as she gave a tour.
Hoffman’s first job was at Sunwatch as the site manager.
“So what we’ve done is we’ve reconstructed part of the village on the exact footprint where we found the things that we found, the archaeological footprint,” Hoffman said as the tour continued.
Over the years, the Solstice House was reconstructed along with the Stockade.
The markers on the ground are where historical house patterns once were.
“Sunwatch is laid out really cool in a very intentional way. It’s laid out in concentric rings,” Hoffman said.
From ceremonial buildings to a burial ring, Sunwatch has been a hot spot for learning since the late 80s and a staple for Dayton-area field trips.
On April 8, it will look a bit different.
“We have a very small, high-end event for up to 150 people and what we’re going to do is we are going to watch the sun, we’re going to learn about Sunwatch, and our astronomer is going to tell us all about what a solar eclipse is when it happens at 3:10 p.m. So we’re very excited,” Hoffman said.
From 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., people can explore, walk the grounds and celebrate the season.
“We’ll have educational tours, you’ll get to go inside the houses and we’ll have staff on hand to talk to you about all the different stops on the tour. We also might have our archaeological dig pit educational activities going that day too,” said Hoffman.
The event will be the largest fundraiser to date for the site.
“The price is $500 a ticket which does seem steep, but it is a fundraiser for us and it will come directly to Sunwatch and come right back here to help us maintain these buildings, build new buildings, do more research, and kind of protect the site and raise awareness for it as well,” Hoffman said.
The last total solar eclipse visible in Ohio was in 1806 and the next won’t pass through until 2099, so people are ready to celebrate in a big way.
On the menu are bison burgers, bison chili, mimosas with Sunny D, moon pies and Sun Chips.
While the event will certainly make a difference for Sunwatch and its centuries of history, for Hoffman it’s a day that comes full circle.
“Sunwatch has always had a place in my heart since I was little because growing up here we always come for a field trip. So I’ve always been interested in history and my background is actually history and anthropology, so I think it’s really cool that I get to see a once in a lifetime event at a once in a lifetime place like Sunwatch,” Hoffman said.
It’s a once in a lifetime event with several precious minutes to spend however you choose.
Alese Underwood
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