Texarkana Comes Together for Awe-Inspiring Solarbration

After a threat of rain forecast on Monday, April 8, 2024, for the Total Solar Eclipse, it turned out to be a beautiful day as folks gathered downtown for the Texarkana Solarbration.

The skies were partly cloudy and the weather was muggy as a large crown started gathering around noon on State Line Avenue in anticipation of the solar eclipse.

People drove from far and wide in hopes of getting a glimpse of this once-in-a-lifetime celestial event, I spoke with folks from Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia who made the trek to Texarkana.

A couple from Georgia said they always wanted to visit Texarkana which allowed them to do just that. They like all the renovations that Main Street Texarkana has been doing to revitalize the downtown area and they couldn't wait to get a picture standing in front of the Post Office on the state line.

The crowd grew larger as the partial eclipse began around 12:30 PM, and a variety of food vendors were there dishing out various food. The food truck Cousins Maine Lobster seemed to be a popular hit as seen on The Food Network and Shark Tank. The lobster quesadillas I purchased from there were awesome!

The Emerald City Band a party band from Dallas took the stage at 1 PM and whipped the crowd into a frenzy with a mix of music from all genres that had people dancing in front of the stage.

The totality started around 1:46 PM and lasted almost 2 and a half minutes plunging downtown into total darkness. The crowd screamed and hollered as the sun was completely covered by the moon as Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" song played in the background.

The total solar eclipse was one of the most amazing feelings anyone could ever experience especially if it were your first time seeing it.

I thought the event organizers did a wonderful job of putting this fun event together offering Texarkana and its visitors a safe environment to witness a thing of beauty.

Take a look at more event pictures and of the eclipse from the Texarkana Solarbration below.