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There is a palpable excitement and anticipation in the air as the once-in-a-lifetime event set to plunge Hope into an estimated four minutes of complete dark Monday nears and the town preps to host thousands of visitors during its three-day Total Eclipse of the Hope event from 10 a.m. April 6 to 8 p.m. April 8.

The eclipse is anticipated to begin over Hope Monday at approximately 1:50 p.m. with totality beginning at 3:05 p.m. and lasting for several minutes.

Executive Director of Main Street of Hope Connie Kiviniemi-Baylor says – like so many others – this will be the first time she’s witnessed a solar eclipse from the path of totality.

“I am super excited about experiencing a total solar eclipse with our wonderful community and our solar-chasing visitors,” Baylor says. “The difference between a partial and total solar eclipse is the difference between day and night – complete darkness, a chance to see the sun’s corona, temperatures will cool, and wildlife will think it is nighttime. I can’t wait!”

During Hope’s three-day solar eclipse event, visitors will get to enjoy live music performances from five different bands, including local favorite Dirty Laundry – who made their Hope debut last year – performing from 12 to 4 p.m. Monday.

The band will perform “Twillight Zone” by Golden Earring in the minutes leading up to and into totality, says Lynn Reese, lead singer of Dirty Laundry, during a set that includes eclipse-worthy covers of songs by Elton John and Bonnie Tyler.

“I am ready to own it and show Hope why this is the place and event where you want to be,” Reese says. “I want this event to be solidified and that people not only remember the eclipse, but the soundtrack. Music pulls out emotion and brings us together. This is just going to be amazing.”

Additional performances during the eclipse weekend kick off with Vinyl Escape, who takes the stage Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m., followed by the Brackish Water Beavers from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday will offer a performance by Eric Hamblin from 6 to 8 p.m. on the bandstand. Then, Dirty Laundry’s performance Monday will be followed by the band Treasured playing from 6 to 8 p.m. closing the event.

In addition to a rockin’ celestial soundtrack, visitors can enjoy food and merchandise from vendors on the Hope Town Square, science presentations and projects by local students, as well as arts and crafts projects on display.  

“They will also be able to dine at our restaurants and shop at our businesses on the Square, as well as enjoy warm Hope’s Hoosier hospitality,” Baylor says. “There are RV/camper sites available less than one mile away from the event for any travelers who need a place to park.”

Hope Town Manager Jason Eckart and Hope Town Marshal Matt Tallent say they’re working closely together to provide a “comprehensive and uniform presence to ensure the safety of both visitors and residents as they experience and travel to and from the solar eclipse.”

According to Tallent, members of the Hope Police Department will implement security measures appropriate for large gatherings and take all necessary actions to maintain order and smooth traffic flow.

As it has been widely publicized across media platforms during this past year of eclipse event preparation, the list of concerns for area emergency services and law enforcement are the same across the board, both Eckart and Tallent say.

“Among the list of our concerns for the upcoming events are transportation disruptions, delayed emergency services because of traffic, stranded motorists, fuel infrastructure not being able to support the influx of visitors, overloaded cellular networks, and an increase in 911 calls,” they say.

However, area residents and visitors can rest easy as the Hope Police Department will be fully staffed throughout the weekend and Monday.

“We are prepared for a large group to come in, but with the way the weather is going to be iffy it is hard to know,” Eckart says. “We will just have to see what happens.”