04 Apr 2022 Morrilton Eclipse Kick-Off Event Friday

Posted at 8:03 PMh in News by

MORRILTON — Conway County’s official kick-off event for the 2024 Great North American Solar Eclipse will be held at 1:30 p.m., Friday, April 8, at the future site of Wayland Holyfield Place, 120 N Moose Street in downtown Morrilton.

The event marks two years until the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse that will mask much of Arkansas in darkness in the middle of the day.  At one of the longest durations of totality in the state, Morrilton will experience 4 minutes and 13 seconds of total darkness at 1:50 p.m. on April 8, 2024.

The public is invited to attend the kick-off event, an effort coordinated by the joint work of the City of Morrilton, Conway County, the Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Morrilton and the Morrilton Civic Alliance.

The program includes brief remarks from Mayor Allen Lipsmeyer, Judge Jimmy Hart, and Event Co-Chairs Courtney Martin, Johnathan Trafford, Jenny Knight and Stephanie Lipsmeyer. There will be a countdown at the two-year mark (1:50 p.m.) and comments by Dr. P. Clay Sherrod of the Arkansas Sky Observatory. A ribbon cutting to celebrate Wayland Holyfield Place will close the event.

Guests can visit information tables for volunteer sign-ups and details on the Holyfield Place project that will be constructed on the site later this year. Grab a free cookie while supplies last and be among the first to purchase an official eclipse t-shirt. Early-bird prices for shirts at this event are $12 for a youth small to X-large, $15 for adult small to X-large, and $18 for 2X-large to 4X-large while supplies last.

“The 2024 solar eclipse will be huge for Morrilton, and we have been making plans behind the scenes for several years,” said Morrilton Mayor Allen Lipsmeyer. “This will be a great opportunity to showcase our community to thousands of people during a once in our lifetime event.”

In case of rain, the event will move inside the Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce at 115 E. Broadway.

For more information about local eclipse-planning efforts, visit arkeclipse.com. For further details on Holyfield Place, visit mainstreetmorrilton.org/hplace.