Park Cities to Celebrate the Total Eclipse
Eyes will be on the sky in the Park Cities on April 8 during Dallas’ once-in-320-years total solar eclipse. The partial eclipse will begin at 12:23 p.m. Totality will begin at 1:40 p.m. and last four minutes, ending at 1:44 p.m. The partial eclipse will end at 3:02 p.m. Eclipse-viewing events are scheduled at SMU, HPISD schools, and Highland Park’s Fairfax Park.
SMU’s activities on April 8 include:
- Physics department faculty will deliver talks in Dallas Hall from 11 a.m. to noon, and will project the eclipse onto a screen inside the building’s rotunda once the eclipse begins. Crowds inside Dallas Hall will be served black and white eclipse cookies.
- Eclipse glasses will be provided at three locations on campus, the Late Fountain Plaza east of the Dedman Life Sciences Building, the Dallas Hall Lawn, and the Sculpture Plaza at the Meadows Museum.
- The Meadows Museum will host Total Eclipse of the Art from noon to 2:30 p.m. The event will focus on the eclipse’s impact on shadows reflected by the art and landscaping in the museum’s sculpture plaza. Click HERE to read more about eclipse-related activities at SMU
HPISD students will head outside between 1 and 1:20 p.m., depending on campus and grade level, and will be provided with eclipse glasses. Parents have been given an opportunity to opt out of in-person eclipse viewing. Students who opt out will view the eclipse via live stream from NASA. Click HERE to visit the school district’s eclipse page.
The Highland Park Library will host a Total Eclipse in the Park beginning at 12:30 p.m. at Fairfax Park, 4524 Beverly Dr. The event will feature an eclipse-themed StoryWalk, four crafts and a prize wheel. Attendees will receive one pair of eclipse glasses, while supplies last. Click HERE to read more about Highland Park’s eclipse festivities. The event is possible through a partnership with HP’s department of public safety and parks department.
