RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — As Arkansas is counting down the hours until totality, towns across the state are celebrating all through the weekend.
The city of Russellville has been planning for the total solar eclipse for almost two years. Now that the day is almost here, city leaders are seeing their hard work come to fruition.
At least 48 states and 12 countries were already represented in Russellville on Sunday for the eclipse, with many more travelers expected to come to town on Monday.
Kansas City native Matt Bostick had never been to Arkansas before, but his mission to follow the eclipse led him straight to Russellville.
"I’m on a 25-day campout retreat, and I decided to see the eclipse in Dallas because they said that's the best place," Bostick said. "I left Friday morning at 6 a.m., got down to Dallas, and the weather was not cooperating, so I saw a little window of opportunity and they said, ‘Go northeast.’ I left yesterday afternoon after having lunch with a friend and got here about 10:00 last night, and I saw Russellville, so I’m here."
Bostick said when he arrived in Russellville, he was met with a warm welcome.
"The mayor walked up to me and introduced himself and it's like, 'This is where I need to be,'" he said.
After 15 months of preparation, Russellville Mayor Fred Teague said the planning is over, and the fun can begin.
"We're just seeing the fruits of our labor, and we're enjoying the experience," Teague said. "I can't wait to be out here with everybody from so many different states and so many different countries and watch the lights go out and feel the emotion and feel the excitement with everyone."
Along with food trucks, live music, and entertainment for the whole family, NASA chose to make Russellville its home base for the eclipse.
"They’ve got all sorts of safety plans in place, all sorts of arrangements with local businesses; it’s been just a tremendous amount of effort," said Patrick Koehn with NASA.
Koehn said throughout the weekend in Russellville, the energy has been high and the best part has been the people.
“I knew southern hospitality was a thing,” Koehn said. “I’d seen it. I grew up with it. But here, it’s palpable— you can feel it.”
For people planning to make the trip to Russellville Monday for the eclipse, Teague said it’s best to come as early as possible, as traffic is expected to get heavier throughout the day.
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