Experiencing the solar eclipse

MCC sixth grade students with their teacher, Ron Tyndall, watch the eclipse from outside their classroom.

Photos and story by Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

SCOTTVILLE — Today, I was able to watch much of the solar eclipse in the same spot I watched it on Feb. 27, 1979, from Mason County Central’s Scottville Elementary. At that time I was in the third grade. I still remember making pinhole filters so we could watch it on the ground.

Sloane and Avoca Alway watch the eclipse.

This time, my youngest daughter is in the third grade, though she is technically in a different school — the Upper Elementary (back in my day, Scottville Elementary housed kindergarten through fifth grade). I picked my two kids up early from school (the other is in fifth grade) and we went to the lower elementary to watch the totality of the eclipse with my wife, who works there.

The kids may not completely understand the significance of witnessing such an event as a family, Our 10-year-old protested because she wanted to watch with her friends, She got over it and eventually enjoyed the moment.. I reminded her that her parents will never witness another solar eclipse (at least in Michigan) again. They may not either. The next one is forecasted for Sept. 14, 2099. Another one is forecasted for the southern portion of the country on Aug. 12, 2045, perhaps we’ll able to enjoy that from our retirement home!

I hope you were able to witness this great solar event and, if you have children, they were able to witness it as well.

_______

Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month.

The easiest way is to sign up for an automatic monthly payment on Paypal. Click this link.

Alternative methods:

• We can send you an invoice each month, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
• We also accept Venmo payments.

We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.

If you would like to support MCP/OCP but do not wish to receive daily emails, please consider sending a contribution to any of the above methods or pay by Venmo (@masoncountypress).  We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.

_____

This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2024, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.

Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.

fb.com/stars