New Hampshire

I went to Lancaster, NH to see eclipse in its totality: Here’s what it was like

Published

3 months ago

April 8, 2024

I went to Lancaster, NH to see eclipse in its totality: Here’s what it was like

Lancaster, New Hampshire, was almost unrecognizable Monday as what seemed like thousands of visitors streamed into the town to see a once-in-a-lifetime sight: a full solar eclipse.

I drove up from Hopkinton, New Hampshire, and made it to Lancaster around 10 a.m. after hitting a little traffic. Usually a town of just over 3,500 people and quiet during “mud season,” the town was buzzing with energy. Five hours before the eclipse, the streets were full of people walking around, getting snacks at local shops and food trucks, and setting up their blankets and chairs in preparation.

Sitting on a field next to the Granite Grind, Heidi and Nina Glavac had arrived in Lancaster around 9:30 a.m. to make sure they got a parking spot. They are from nearby Bethlehem.

“I want to do the 100%, right. And our house apparently my husband’s like, we’re 99.6. So I’m like, where’s the closest to where we live,” said Heidi.

Much of New England saw a partial eclipse somewhere in the 90th percentile. But many of the people who traveled to Lancaster said they saw it as their one chance to see a total eclipse. The next one in the area won’t be until 2079.

The total eclipse

The moon began covering the sun around 2:15 p.m. Wearing my ISO certified eclipse glasses, I saw the sun begin to morph into a crescent.

Brad Moser, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Plymouth State University, was standing outside The Lancaster Motel with his telescope.

“I’m most excited … there’s a couple of minutes leading up to totality, there’s things like shadow bands or shadow snakes, if you’ve heard of those before,” Moser said. “Once there’s like this narrow slip a couple of minutes right before the eclipse, you can look onto the ground and there should be like these sort of like wavy shadows that are like kind of leaping over each other, kind of snakelike.”

Moser said that in the moments leading right up to full totality, informed viewers can see things like “Bailey’s Beads,” or little fibers of sunlight, and the subsequent “diamond-ring effect” as they disappear. Moser said these are caused by the sun’s light coming past the mountains and valleys on the moon.

The sun was still only partly obscured when I came upon a large sports field with hundreds of people scattered. Hannah, Chris, and Trish Autenrieth sat with their dog, Bear. Hannah lives in Rhode Island but had come home for the weekend just for the eclipse. The Hooksett family had driven up that morning, arriving just before the eclipse started.

“We figure there’s probably going to be some kind of an alien communication,” Chris joked.

As the sky got darker, kids who were playing catch and wrestling reunited with their parents to stare at the sun.

“Mommy it’s getting more!” cried one curly haired child.

“Momma it looks like a banana,” said a young boy around 3:15 p.m.

People started putting back on their jackets as the air grew colder, and murmurs grew about the light.

“Weird glow right now,” said one. “Not like sunset darkness, like under the shade of a tree or something,” observed another.

Just as the sun slowly, then suddenly slips under the horizon at sunset, the moon quickly overtook the sun in the sky, covering the whole field under an eerie darkness. For a short 20-40 seconds, all the observers were able to stare directly at the eclipse without glasses. You could see the corona, or the outermost atmosphere of the sun, as well as some brighter planets and stars in the sky. People clapped, laughed and screamed.

There was no alien communication, but the Autenrieth family said their trip was definitely “worth it.”

Residents, business owners of Lancaster worked together

Ruby Berryman, owner of The Lancaster Motel, said they had been preparing for a year for the eclipse. The hotel put together a package that included a few nights, food and entertainment like live music and talks by Moser, the astrophysicist from Plymouth State. Its 40-person capacity was filled last week, but she said they’ve been getting calls all night.

“It’s been nice to see the town come to life. Seeing all my neighbors and stuff,” Berryman said. “We normally don’t see this much traffic except during the fair. But even with the fair people are driving by, they’re not milling around and meeting each other.”

She said the motel partnered with local businesses, such as handing out coupons, to further stimulate the local economy.

Indeed, the Granite Grind and Polish Princess Bakery, two bakeries in town, saw huge lines for much of the morning. Business was also hopping for the food trucks that had come from nearby towns. And a couple local Girl Scout troops were clearing out their remaining inventory.

The bright, sunny skies added to the overall jovial feeling in town.

“I feel like it’s a gift to me personally,” said Berryman.

People came from near and far

Sprinkled throughout the New Hampshire and Massachusetts license plates, states like Utah, Washington D.C., and Kentucky were also represented.

More: Eclipse arrives in NH and Maine: Crowds thrilled by show in sky

Samir and Cristina Shoukleur came from San Diego.

“I wanted to see the eclipse in Mazatlan, Mexico, because that’s where it started,” said Cristina. But the pair had family in the area, and so they decided to combine the trip. She said it felt very spiritual, and so happy. “It was like I wanted to say, Happy Eclipse Day! Like Happy New Year.”

Paul Broce, Bea Zakur, and Linda Swope drove up on Sunday from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They felt so lucky to have no clouds for the eclipse.

“We’re not going to be around for the next one,” said Broce about why they decided to come. “We’re a lot older than you are.”

I’ll be 83 by the time of the next eclipse in this area. I told them it might be a stretch for me too to make it. But as a newfound umbraphile, I’ll certainly try!

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New Hampshire

Possible measles exposure in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, residents urged to check for symptoms

Published

37 mins ago

June 30, 2024

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Possible measles exposure in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, residents urged to check for symptoms – CBS Boston

Watch CBS News

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is warning residents of possible measles exposure after an international traveler was diagnosed.

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New Hampshire

Join NHPR for special programming honoring Independence Day 2024

Published

8 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

Join NHPR for special programming honoring Independence Day 2024

Tune in to the following special programming live on-air, online, or with the NHPR app.

Civics 101– The Declaration Does Not Apply: Thursday, July 4rd at 1PM

The founders left three groups out of the Declaration of Independence: Black Americans, Indigenous peoples, and women. This is how they responded.

A few years ago, Civics 101 did a series revisiting the Declaration of Independence, and three groups for which the tenants of life, liberty, and property enshrined in that document did not apply. We bring you all three parts of that series on July 4.

Part 1: Byron Williams, author of The Radical Declaration, walks us through how enslaved Americans and Black Americans pushed against the document from the very beginning of our nation’s founding.

Part 2: Writer and activist Mark Charles lays out the anti-Native American sentiments within it, the doctrines and proclamations from before 1776 that justified ‘discovery,’ and the Supreme Court decisions that continue to cite them all.

Part 3: Laura Free, host of the podcast Amended and professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, tells us about the Declaration of Sentiments, the document at the heart of the women’s suffrage movement.

Civics 101 is the podcast about how our democracy work — or is supposed to work, anyway. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts (it’s free!)

A Capitol Fourth from NPR
Thursday, July 4 from 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Celebrate our country’s 248th birthday with a star-studded musical extravaganza!

The 44th edition of America’s Independence Day celebration features performances by top stars from pop, country, R&B, classical and Broadway, and patriotic classics. Top musical artists join the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of premier pops conductor Jack Everly.

The annual Fourth of July celebration airs from the nation’s capital to a broadcast audience of millions and to our troops around the world via American Forces Network. This program is Hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro.

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New Hampshire

Grand slam helps Yard Goats dominate in win over New Hampshire – The Collinsville Press

Published

15 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

Grand slam helps Yard Goats dominate in win over New Hampshire – The Collinsville Press

Hartford’s Braiden Ward his a grand slam to help the Yard Goats beat New Hampshire on Satruday night at Dunkin’ Park. (Photo courtesy Hartford Yard Goats)

Braiden Ward hit a grand slam to help the Hartford Yard Goats roll to a 12-2 Eastern League victory over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 7,279 at Dunkin Park.

The Yard Goats (41-32, 3-2 second half) had 13 hits as they won for the third time in the last four games. Ward went 2-for-4 with five RBI with the first grand slam of his professional career.

Hartford’s Bladimir Restituyo went 3-4, with three runs scored and an RBI single while Sterlin Thompson (2-for-3, two RBI) hit his third home run of the series in the fifth inning.

Starting pitcher Jarrod Cande (5-5) earned his fifth win of the season, allowing two earned runs in five innings of work. He struck out six. His teammates in the Yard Goats bullpen gave up one hit and struck out four in the remaining four innings.

New Hampshire (32-41, 2-3 second half) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Devonte Brown had a two-out RBI single.

Hartford’s Warming Bernabel worked a walk to lead off the second inning and Thompson followed with a walk of his own to put runners at first and second with no outs. After Fisher Cats starter Michael Dominguez picked up two strikeouts, Nic Kent’s single scored Bernabel from second to tie the score at 1-1.

Hartford’s AJ Lewis walked to load the bases and set the stage for Ward who crushed a grand slam into the right field upper deck to make it a 5-1 ballgame.

The Fisher Cats made it a 5-2 ballgame off a Glenn Santiago sacrifice fly.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Restituyo led off with a single before stealing second and third base. Restituyo then was awarded home plate on a balk by Hunter Gregory to make the score 6-2.

The Yard Goats extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two-run home run from Thompson that made it an 8-2 ballgame. Ward came to back again with the bases loaded in the fifth inning and added a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 9-2.

In the sixth inning the Yard Goats struck with two outs as a Zach Kokoska RBI triple pushed the score to 10-2.

Hartford concludes this week’s series with a game on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. at Dunkin Park. The Goats have won seven of their last 10 games.

The Yard Goats wore uniforms honoring Hartford’s Johnny “Schoolboy” Taylor on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Hartford Yard Goats)

Celebration of Negro League Baseball
Saturday was the Celebration of Negro League baseball in Hartford. Fans had the opportunity to watch a 42-minute documentary, “The Other Boys of Summer”, listen to a live panel and enjoy a block party prior to the game with the Fisher Cats.

The panel included Pedro Sierra, Negro League player (1954-1958 Indianapolis Clowns & Detroit Stars), Walt Harrison, baseball historian, Emeritus President of the University of Hartford, and Nkwa Asonye, award winning sports reporter from WFSB Channel 3. The documentary screening, panel, and block party were free and open to the public.

The Yard Goats took the field as The Hartford Schoolboys, a brand and identity complete with uniforms inspired by Johnny “Schoolboy” Taylor. The Yard Goats honored Taylor with a specially designed uniform, and changed their name to the “Hartford Schoolboys.” The Schoolboys logo features an oversized “H” which was created from an “H” on a uniform in an old photo and the full logo features a silhouette of Johnny pitching.

Taylor was a baseball legend from the South End of Hartford, and one of the most famous Negro League players from that era.

Taylor signed a professional contract as a 19-year-old pitcher in 1935 with the New York Cubans, and had a fantastic first season in the Negro National League. “Schoolboy” was named to the Negro League All-Star team in 1938, and many feel he is the greatest baseball player to come out of Hartford. At the age of 33, Taylor became the first black athlete to play professional baseball in Hartford when he played for the Hartford Chiefs in 1949.

Taylor played baseball in the sandlots around Hartford and was a track and field athlete before joining the Bulkeley High baseball team for his senior year. In his last ever high school game, he set a Connecticut state record with 25 strikeouts against New Britain High.

One of the highlights in Taylor’s career was pitching a no-hitter to beat the Nego Leagues All-Star team and ace pitcher Satchel Paige at the Polo Grounds in New York in 1937. The six-foot, 165-pound right-hander once pitched his team to victory hurling 22 innings in a game at Bulkeley Stadium.

His time in the Negro League was spent playing for the New York Cubans (1935-1936, 1940, 1945), Pittsburgh Crawfords (1938), Toledo Crawfords (1939) and Newark Eagles (1940). Taylor left the United States to pitch in the Mexican League in 1941.

Learn more about Johnny “Schoolboy” Taylor from the Greater Hartford Twilight League and the Society for American Baseball Research.

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