Eclipse viewing party Aug. 21

The rare celestial total solar eclipse event Aug. 21 will be celebrated in Hebron with a gathering at the Southeast Community College Hebron Learning Center, 6th and Jefferson Streets.
The Hebron Solar Eclipse Viewing Party will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., on the former primary school playground with the Hebron Chamber of Commerce serving a sack lunch for a small fee. The viewing party is free.
The first 150 people will receive viewing glasses for the eclipse.
Hebron Chamber of Commerce Director Jana Tietjen said those attending can count on eclipse-themed activities.
Crystal Fangmeier, the learning center coordinator, said the party will give people in Thayer County a place to view the eclipse.
“They will share in the excitement of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Fangmeier said.
The center will feature a class — The Great American Eclipse — Aug. 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Online registration is available using the keyword, “eclipse.”  
For the class, the Omaha Astronomy Club will use distance technology to teach participants how the solar system works, what students can expect and the best places to view the eclipse.
While Deshler Public is still in its planning stages for Aug. 21, Bruning-Davenport has scheduled middle and high school students travel to Homestead National Monument to view the eclipse.
Superintendent Trudy Clark said the school has also purchased viewing glasses to take elementary students in Davenport through the experience.
The Homestead National Monument is hosting a weekend long event with free bus service all three days.  
Thayer Centralwill hold a viewing party on the school’s football field.
The school will distribute the protective viewing glasses needed to watch the progression to all students and staff, who will catch glimpses of the progression and then everyone will be on the field for the full eclipse.
High school science students will be in the Titan press box covering the eclipse.
Nebraska will be one of 14 states from Oregon to South Carolina in the path of the eclipse. According to the Nebraska Department of Transportation, approximately 200 million people, less than two-thirds of the nation’s population, will be within a day’s drive of the path.
On eclipse2017.org, the partial phase of the eclipse will begin in Hebron at approximately 11:35 a.m. Totality is expected at 1:01 p.m.
At greatamericaneclipse.com, a map of Nebraska shows Hebron is closest to a 2:00.38 of totality, beginning at 1:03 p.m. near Homestead National Monument.
The NDOT advises drivers to prepare for congestion the day before, the day of and the day after the event, especially on the interstate.