WACO, Texas — Many people went to nearby parks in Waco to watch the eclipse — downtown shops, especially around Magnolia, saw customers during the day, but streets and stores emptied out just before the solar eclipse.
ORIGINAL BROADCAST SCRIPT:
The much-anticipated solar eclipse is now just a memory — let's take a look back at what it was like in Downtown Waco during the eclipse.
People viewing the event at Doris D. Miller Park broke out in applause.
Birds nearby were not sure what to do as daylight turned to darkness.
For Kathy Runkle and her family, it was a must-see.
“Oh my God, it’s fully covered."
“The lighting is going down — seems like the temperature is going down a little bit.”
Runkle and her family traveled almost four hours to view the eclipse.
"We heard it was one of the better viewing spots," she said.
People set up blankets for the perfect viewing spots in parks close to Downtown Waco.
Visitors filled downtown streets, especially near Magnolia hours beforehand, but streets and shops emptied out leading up the big moment.
25 News met a family in downtown who came all the way from the United Kingdom to be in Waco for the eclipse.
For them, there were no other places they wanted to watch the solar eclipse.
“It’s our first time in Texas, and so we thought we’d make a big holiday out of it," the family said.
"It’s been great and we’ve loved it!”
Traffic in Downtown Waco was a concern for many leading up to the eclipse.
However, there were no major issues getting around, and street parking could be found fairly easily.
