Old Town Cape to throw downtown block party for eclipse

As the town of Cape Girardeau will be buzzing with people anticipating the Solar Eclipse, Old Town Cape will be providing a free Solar Eclipse Block Party for anyone who wants to join.

The block party will be held in the Cape Riverfront Market parking lot at 35 South Spanish Street from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, April 8. Old Town Cape is a non-profit organization with the goal of revitalizing downtown Cape Girardeau, and are the main event-coordinator for eclipse viewing in Downtown Cape.

Event and volunteer coordinator for Old Town Cape Savannah Edwards said the event will consist of food trucks, free cookies, yoga classes, vendors, activities and live music by local band Spacers. She said they will be handing out free viewing glasses, but there will also be limited-edition t-shirts for sale at the Old Town Cape booth.

Edwards said Old Town Cape will be partnering with downtown businesses to enhance people’s experience at the block party, such as Ebb & Flow Fermentations and Shakti & Free Yoga Studio. The Library will also open their outdoor patio and bar for people to enjoy beverages throughout the day of the eclipse.

Owner of Shakti & Free Yoga Studio Chelsea Aldrich said she and a few other yoga teachers from the studio will be setting up in the community garden next to the main parking lot to provide multiple beginner and all-level style yoga classes. Aldrich said she hopes to see the community come together to experience this event and support local businesses.

“We’re living through something that’s going to actually be a historical thing that will be talked about, so you can be a part of that history if you decide to come out and celebrate,” Aldrich said.

On top of free yoga classes, people will also be able to attend the free art exhibit being hosted by Ebb & Flow Fermentations.

Local artist and brewer Zac Nelson will be showcasing his art exhibit at Ebb & Flow Fermentations from Friday, April 5 to Monday, April 8. The exhibition will consist of multiple large-scale panels and sculptures. Nelson said there will be a TV playing his creative music videos throughout the weekend for people to watch and listen to. Nelson will also be releasing a kombucha he brewed called Paradise Normal for the eclipse weekend.

Nelson said his inspiration for his art exhibit is to make people feel and appreciate the size of the universe they are existing in.

“I like to work big, and I thought that makes sense for this,” Nelson said. “I want to feel engulfed by something, and an eclipse is like you’re being engulfed by space, everything, the world, the universe.

There are many ways to view the eclipse while also protecting the human eye, with eclipse glasses at the top of the list.

According to Kate Howells at The Planetary Society, “Solar eclipse glasses use lenses that are made of black polymer, a flexible resin infused with carbon particles. They are about 100,000 times darker than ordinary sunglasses and block nearly all visible light as well as all infrared and ultraviolet light.”