MCGREGOR, Texas — “There’s a lot of excitement but there’s a lot of unknown as well,” said Cassie Thomas, Director of Community Services with the City of McGregor.
Central Texas is just two weeks away from one of the biggest events of the year.
When the solar eclipse happens on April 8, neighborhoods all over Central Texas will be among the best spots to experience it.
The City of McGregor is taking part in the eclipse excitement by hosting an event at McGregor ISD Stadium.
“Please be sure to wear your glasses and don't stare at the sun — we’re just trying to give everybody the safest opportunity possible and to give all of our first responders the ability to get where they need to go,” Thomas said.
The city says there will be food, vendors, and live entertainment — but their number one priority is public safety.
“It’s plenty of space — they have the high school parking lot and the various schools have big parking lots so it gives us an area for people to park off the roadway, to keep as much safety in mind as possible, as well as allow people to get out of their vehicle, walk around, stretch, and eat food,” Thomas said.
The arrival of out-of-town tourists is another concern for city leaders.
“They told us to anticipate three to five times our population which would put us at 15,000 to 25,000,” Thomas said.
Preparation for the event is already underway.
“We are putting some additional port-a-potties out in places where we will likely get a lot of extra traffic, public parks, that kind of thing," Thomas said.
"As well as trash cans and dumpsters to make sure we can be good to the property here in McGregor."
Parking will be $10, which includes eclipse glasses for everyone inside the vehicle.
