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Dripping Springs is about to experience two stellar events: an annular solar eclipse in October of this year and a total solar eclipse in April of 2024.
The annular solar eclipse will take place on Oct. 14. Dripping Springs is just on the outskirts of the totality of the annular eclipse, so residents and visitors will only experience a partial one. However, the city is about a year away from a once-in-a-lifetime event: a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Dripping Springs will be in the totality of the total solar eclipse, and as a result, community leaders have already begun preparing.
According to experts, a total solar eclipse happens somewhere in the world every 18 months, but it only happens in the same place approximately every 375 years. The last time the Dripping Springs area experienced a total solar eclipse was in the 1800s.
There are only 13 states in the United States where the total solar eclipse will be visible. Texas will experience the most prolonged eclipse duration of those states. Because of this unique solar phenomenon, city staff and leaders in Dripping Springs and the surrounding Hill Country are expecting a significant number of visitors — more than the local community has ever encountered.
Dripping Springs will experience the total solar eclipse beginning at approximately 12:16 p.m. on Monday, April 8, 2024. The full eclipse begins at 1:34 p.m., and Dripping Springs will be in total darkness for three minutes when the moon’s disk completely blocks the sun.
In August of last year, a community eclipse committee was formed to help Dripping Springs prepare for the big events and to ensure that all areas of the city are as prepared as possible. The committee consists of city department heads, including emergency management, parks and community services, communications and more. It also includes representatives from the Dripping Springs Visitors Bureau, Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce, Dripping Springs ISD, North Hays County Fire & Rescue Department and North Hays EMS. The committee has been researching what other cities have done to prepare, while some members have also been attending virtual eclipse planning workshops.
“This will be a historic event for Dripping Springs. We are excited about this once-in-alifetime opportunity for our City and we are doing everything we can to ensure we are ready,” said Dripping Springs City Administrator Michelle Fischer. “We want to do all we can to make sure our residents, businesses and visitors have a positive experience.”
Educating the public is a main focus for the Eclipse Committee. For this reason, the city of Dripping Springs has launched a section on its website dedicated to all things eclipse-related. Residents and businesses can go to the site for the latest news and information from the committee, as well as ways to learn about the upcoming eclipses and how to be prepared. The website is located at cityofdrippingsprings. com/eclipse. Visitors to the site can sign up for an eclipse newsletter that will be sent out periodically. In the next month, there will also be information on how to get approved eclipse glasses so viewers can safely watch the eclipses. The city has also created a Dripping Springs Eclipse Facebook page for updates: facebook. com/codseclipse.
Other resources include a blog on the Destination Dripping Springs website. Visitors can find that at destinationdrippingsprings. com/p/aboutus/ blog/solar-eclipse-2024.
The Eclipse Committee is currently seeking a sponsor(s) for the community eclipse glasses. If interested — or for questions or for more information — send an email to eclipse@cityofdrippingsprings. com or call (512) 858-4725.
