RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — On Monday, April 8, people from all 50 states and dozens of countries around the world poured into Russellville to view the total solar eclipse.
For some travelers, like Christine Spidell, this was not their first time to view totality.
“I've known that I was going to make this trip for seven years since I saw the last one in Oregon,” Spidell said.
That was back in 2017, and this time, she wanted her mom, Karin Kane, to experience it too.
“We've taken our time [in Arkansas] and driven all around, and haven’t been rushed, been able to see everything,” Kane said.
Spidell and Kane joined the crowds of visitors from across the globe – something Russellville has been anticipating for nearly two years.
As travelers and locals celebrated the eclipse all weekend downtown, the largest crowd by far came on Monday afternoon for the big moment, which proved to be just as powerful as Spidell remembered.
“It's exactly what I was hoping for,” Spidell said. “It was amazing. I'm glad we got the longer totality this time, but I’m so glad that my mom got to experience it too.”
The mother-daughter duo agreed it was a once-in-a-lifetime feeling you have to experience to fully understand.
“It's like a shock, because it's so much more than what you expect,” Kane said.
“She kept asking me, what is it going to be like?” Spidell added.
“You really can’t explain it to somebody,” Kane said.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.