By Olivier Pontbriand – Contributor

On April 8, crowds gathered on and around Bishop’s campus to watch the total solar eclipse and to form lifelong memories.

The festivities on campus were not left up to chance. Bishop’s community members planned for over a year to coordinate activities for the eclipse. However, the true hands-on preparation for student volunteers began on Saturday, April 6, with an important meeting concerning numerous tasks and safety protocols.

Distributing eclipse glasses was a challenging assignment for the student population since the date and location for the glasses pick-up moved twice.  Those outside the Bishop’s community had to register before Saturday to secure a pair of glasses. However, because of a surplus, glasses could be handed to everyone who attended.

The event on campus offered more than just a free pair of glasses: Oriana Valentina, a graduating student who volunteered for the kid’s entertainment section that day mentioned that activities for children were organized with the SportsPlex to promote their summer camp. “Parents were playing along, and it was really fun to offer something more to the community”. 

At the SportsPlex’s terrace, Bishop’s Arches Brewery invited guests to a special tasting of “Aura”, a beer specially brewed for the eclipse. The 300 litres of dark lager beer were a limited edition product for the Bishop’s event – a recipe of Giovanni Venditti, brewing science and sales coordinator. The beer sold out almost immediately at the local Maxi on Queen Street and was a hit at Doolittle’s. “The whole process takes about one month, with the fermentation considered. We did three batches of 100 litres, and the results are a dark beer but easy-to-drink beer with an IBU [of] around 25”, mentioned Simon Desrochers of the Arches Brewery. Students Alexandre Mador and Drew Henkel joined Desrochers on the terrace to serve the cold beer.

Although the main entrance and the parking lot in front of the SportsPlex were blocked to offer a safer environment to the people present for the event, no capacity limit restricted the gathering on Coulter Field. The area was decked out with a food truck and portable toilets to accommodate the crowd.

Many community members watched the eclipse on Coulter Field, but several students decided to observe from Abbott Field or Optimist Park. Alex Diotte, a sports studies student, watched from Coulter Field because “although members of the community showed up, it wasn’t too crowded. The atmosphere was great, and everybody reacted the same way when totality started”.

Across the bridge, Sam McNamee, a student watching from Optimist Park, stated that his “friends were playing football in the morning, and I joined them. People started coming in to watch [the eclipse] there, so we stayed. People were playing music and having fun”.

April 8 brought communities together on and around campus to witness a stunning three and a half minutes of darkness. The diverse gathering spots, from Coulter Field to Optimist Park, allowed people to enjoy the eclipse in their preferred setting, surrounded by friends and family. The meticulous planning and grand event left participants in awe of the celestial spectacle.