As the April 8 total solar eclipse approaches, the community is stepping forward to help make the “Party in the Path,” which is focused on the eclipse and planned to be a fun and memorable event. Support for the event comes from those who are volunteering to assist with the festivities, set for April 5 through 8, and the businesses sponsoring individual activities.
“Our task force is so pleased with the excitement building around the plans we’ve been making to celebrate this historic astronomical occurrence,” City of West Plains Tourism Manager and Total Solar Eclipse Task Force Chair Melissa Wharton said. “The sponsorships are helping pay for the event, and volunteers will be crucial to making it a success.”
Businesses supporting the event at the presenter level include Midway Towing, sponsor of the Neon Parade; Colton’s Steakhouse & Grill, sponsor of the Dice Run to the Mills; and Hirsch Feed & Farm Supply, sponsor of the 5K @ Galloway-Eclipse Edition.
For the parade, other sponsorships include Ozarks Healthcare Foundation, grand marshall; Southern Bank, grand prize; and Mega Motorsports, first and second place prizes in two of the parade categories, the 1980s theme and the Sc-Fi theme. Roll stop sponsors for the Dice Run include West Plains Propane, Mega Motorsports, West Plains Bank and Trust Company, and Barlett Moving & Storage. Wood & Huston Bank is a run sponsor for the 5K @ Galloway.
Wharton said there are a few remaining sponsorship opportunities available. For more information, she can be contacted via email, melissa.wharton@westplains.gov, or at the Ozark Heritage Welcome Center, 417-256-8835.
Starting with a concert featuring 38 Special and The Ozark Mountain Daredevils on April 5 and continuing with multiple other events — including the Neon Parade and a Cosmic Carnival for Kids on April 6, and the Dice Run and a balloon glow event with a concert by Ha Ha Tonka and Fender Bender and fireworks on April 7 — the Party in the Path concludes on April 8 with the solar eclipse. Totality begins at 1:54 p.m. and will last for about three minutes, but a partial eclipse is visible for about an hour and a half leading up to and after totality, which is also part of the experience, organizers noted. Three official viewing sites are designated, with numerous businesses and organizations hosting their own viewing parties around town.
“We’ve worked hard to make the party be filled with fun activities for all ages. We’re confident there will be many visitors from outside the area and that this will be an economic shot in the arm for our town. But we also hope everyone here will view this as a community celebration. Something to bring us all together as we enjoy a truly unique opportunity,” said Wharton. “Having said that, I’ll add that we’re going to need a lot of volunteers!”
Volunteer opportunities include providing information to visitors, set-up and tear-down at venues, crowd and parking management, help during the parade and cleanup.
One area of volunteer need is for the Cosmic Carnival for Kids, an event to be held on the south parking lot of the West Plains Public Library featuring free carnival-style games and activities for children. The carnival committee is looking for businesses, organizations and others such as church or school groups to set up a table and canopy and run the games.
“We’ll provide the games and prizes, but we need someone to run the booths. Those helping will be welcome to hand out information about their business or organization. Please let us know if you’re interested,” said Wharton. “It should be lots of fun for everyone.”
To sign up to help, go to the “volunteer” button at the bottom of the explorewestplains.com/tse webpage. Potential volunteers are also invited to attend the Nonprofit Meet and Greet event from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the West Plains Civic Center. Explore West Plains staff will be there to enlist volunteers.
Find out more about the festivities by liking and following “Explore West Plains” and “Eclipse West Plains” on Facebook and by visiting explorewestplains.com/tse.
