Hamilton County looks up

In Noblesville, Ayla Johnson, Ava Brown and Colby France Mahorney were among the Noble Crossing first graders who had the opportunity, along with all students at Noblesville Schools, to experience the eclipse first-hand. (Photo provided)

People of all ages were outside to watch the first solar eclipse visible to the continental U.S. since 1918. Although Hamilton County was not in the path of totality, the number of people watching the event was impressive. Beth Meyer at the Fishers Library knew they had something big on their hands when phone calls flooded their phone lines asking about the eclipse event at the downtown Fishers Amphitheater during the morning hours before Monday afternoon’s eclipse. While the city and library partnered for a community gathering, the crowd on hand exceeded all expectations. Fishers Parks Department Director Tony Elliott estimated the downtown crowd at 2,500. The library offered the special viewing glasses for $1 each, but ran out around 1 p.m. But people were sharing their glasses all over the municipal complex.