Community comes together

The solar eclipse Monday was, in many ways, a first-time experience all over town. While the event itself was “once in a lifetime,” it also brought high sales numbers to local businesses and restaurants, created a multitude of RVs, campers and tents in our town and the campgrounds at Boysen and in the canyon, and brought an enormous amount of traffic.

The number of vehicles coming in, out and through Thermopolis was incredible. Even more so, there were only a few minor accidents — though there was an unfortunate incident in which a dog was struck. Drivers were conscientious of what was happening, and the past year of preparing for the influx of people — whether we hit the projected number or not — certainly factored into driver awareness.

Whether all the hype was necessary for an event that only lasted a couple hours, and less than a minute for the totality, is certainly a point that could be argued endlessly, but let’s not have that get in the way of how truly amazing Monday’s event was, both in terms of what was happening in the heavens and here on Earth.

With the last few visitors from out of the county and the state heading back home, the traffic flow has regained its normalcy, but do try to keep in mind that just because there’s less vehicle traffic, there is certainly more foot traffic as students go to and from school.

The crossing guards are posted, and the amber lights are flashing at the school zones, so keep in eye on that speed. And the buses are taking up their regular routes, so if you find yourself behind one remember to stop when the signal lights and stop arm are up.

The community really came together to make the eclipse event something to remember. Now let’s do the same for the school year.