Dripping Springs will experience two eclipses over the next nine months: an annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14 of this year and a total solar eclipse on April 8 in 2024. To help residents, businesses and visitors prepare, the city has launched a new eclipse website: drippingeclipse. com. While both types of eclipses are momentous, total solar eclipses are rare. Total solar eclipses happen somewhere in the world every 18 months and only happen in the same place approximately every 375 years. Dripping Springs will be in the totality of the April 8 eclipse for three minutes, making this a once-in-a-lifetime event in the Hill Country.
As a result, the city is warning local businesses and residents to expect a significant number of visitors to the city to experience the total solar eclipse.
A community eclipse task force has been meeting monthly to prepare for the big event — and the possible influx of visitors — to ensure that all areas of the city are as prepared as possible. Educating the public is a major focus for the task force and is why the comprehensive website was launched, according to the city.
The new website includes: information for residents, businesses and visitors to help them plan and prepare with information that will be continually updated an event form, so any business can have their eclipse-related event added to the website a way to sign up for a periodic eclipse newsletter eclipse commemorative items for sale, including T-shirts and stickers, along with approved safe eclipseviewing sunglasses information on an Eclipse Ambassador program that organizations can utilize if they wish an eclipse representative to speak to their group.
The eclipse task force includes representatives from the city of Dripping Springs, Dripping Springs Visitors Bureau, Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce, Dripping Springs ISD, North Hays County Fire & Rescue Department, North Hays EMS and more. The committee, which meets once a month, has been researching what other cities have done to prepare, attending virtual and in-person eclipse planning workshops and reading white papers from cities that have experienced eclipses before.
For more information on the website or eclipse planning in the city of Dripping Springs, send an email to eclipse@cityofdrippingsprings. com or call the city at (512) 8584725.
