Spring City's ornate train station
Tiny Spring City in Rhea County is gearing up for as many as 9,000 people for a spectacular view of the Aug. 21 solar eclipse.
The experts say Spring City is at the "epi-center" of the eclipse path and should experience total darkness for two minutes and 39 seconds around 2:30 p.m. of that Monday afternoon.
The solar eclipse will start in Spring City around 1 p.m. and be a three-hour spectacle until full daylight returns and the moon is out of the sun's path.
Stephania Motes, city manager for the town of less than 2,000 residents, said Spring City is getting calls from throughout the U.S. and, indeed, the world. Some spectactors are expected to make the trek from Australia and Great Britain.
"I've talked with people from New York to Central Florida," she said.
She stated, "We've been told to expect about three times the number we have for our biggest annual event. That would be the July 4 festival. Based on that, we are looking for from 6,000 to 9,000 people."
The town has been planning activities for the nature enthusiasts who have long since booked its few lodging places. A festival with vendors, food, crafts and children's activities, is set on Saturday, Aug. 19, at Veterans Park by the lake.
There will be a community-wide church service on Sunday morning and concerts from 2-9 at the city's other venue, the Nature Park.
The Tennessee Valley Theater is putting on a sock hop and the Smoky Mountain Model A and Thunderbird clubs will have 50 classic cars on display.
Then, Ms. Motes expects the next morning the throngs "will be getting here very, very early to get their spots."
Professor Brian Dennison of the University of North Carolina, an eclipse expert, will be giving lectures on what to expect at City Hall next Monday at 6 p.m. and Aug. 8 at 6 p.m.
Ms. Motes said Spring City got a free shipment of eclipse safety glasses through the Southeast Tennessee Development District and those have been given out. The town is awaiting another 1,000 set of glasses that it will make available.
There have been many meetings to prepare for parking, traffic control and emergency management. A shuttling system will be in place.
Then nature's big show will begin featuring Spring City, Tn.