Eclipse Festival Plans Announced

Plans are being finalized for the Mountain View Eclipse Festival April 5-8.

Mountain View will experience 4 minutes and 14 seconds of totality just before 2 p.m. April 8.

On April 5, Pam Setser & Band will perform on the courthouse stage beginning at 7 p.m.

On April 6, food trucks and other vendors will open at 10 a.m., and a Pet Costume Contest will be held on the square, also at 10 a.m. The contest is open to all types of pets, and costumes should relate to the solar eclipse and/or outer space. Registration forms are available at Country Pet Playground Dog Boarding.

Non-profit organizations are encouraged to contact the Chamber of Commerce to arrange booth space. There is no fee.

Also on Saturday, a Moon Pie Eating Contest is set for 2 p.m., and music begins at 3 p.m. Sophie and the New Relics perform, followed by Mike Mayberry and the Slow Hands.

April 7 will offer a church service, Barn Dance on the stage, and performance by Lane Long.

On April 8, the music lineup includes Ozark Strangers, 5 South, Blackberry Summer, and Ozark All-Stars. The Cleverlys will close out the festival at 5:30 p.m.

Citizens who have unwanted vehicles parked on private property may have the vehicles towed, but the property owner must request service from a towing company. Police cannot have a vehicle removed from private property.

Residents planning to offer parking areas for dozens of vehicles are urged to report the location to the county emergency management staff to assist with emergency response planning. E-mail sc_oem@outlook.com with the physical address and coordinates (if known). This could help in the event a medical or other emergency is called in by someone unfamiliar with their surroundings.

An influx of visitors is expected the morning of April 8, with a corresponding backup of traffic at the conclusion of the eclipse in midafternoon. OES coordinator Glen Crymes said county personnel will be monitoring traffic that morning in an effort to anticipate where problems might arise.