Instead of 300,000 spectators, as multiple officials projected, Bloomington saw tens of thousands, according to early estimates. And while the smaller-than-expected crowds enabled the city to escape snarled traffic, the overestimates also kept some Bloomington residents from leaving their homes and attending the local events, from Switchyard Park to Memorial Stadium.

IU spokesman Mark Bode said the university hosted “tens of thousands of visitors and students across at least seven separate events,” including “nearly 10,000” at Memorial Stadium.

(The maximum capacity of the stadium is over 50,000.)

While between 50,000 and 100,000 eclipse viewers were expected in Nashville and Brown County, an estimated 20,000 showed up.

Jiffy Treet in Ellettsville, the epicenter of the total solar eclipse in Indiana, had a big day. More than 50 people watched the eclipse from a grassy field adjacent to the Ind. 46 ice cream shop.

Incidentally, the parking by Jiffy Treet was charging $50 per car, so that’s not exactly shocking.

The eclipse was on a Monday. Most kids not near the path of totality had school. Why they thought so many thousands were coming is beyond me. This should have been easily predicted.

  • @ephrin
    link
    English
    12 months ago

    Kentucky > Indiana

    • Flying SquidOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      42 months ago

      And yet in normal circumstances, no one in their right mind would go there either.

      • @ephrin
        link
        English
        -12 months ago

        Kentucky has bourbon and fried chicken and culture. Indiana… has Mike Pence.

        • Flying SquidOP
          link
          fedilink
          English
          52 months ago

          You can get bourbon and fried chicken in Indiana. Also, in terms of names, Indiana has Kurt Vonnegut, The Jackson Five, Axl Rose, Jim Gaffigan and James Dean, just to name a few.

          My brother went to school with Meg Cabot and Joshua Bell. I went to school with Sara Caswell.

          Even now, John Green still lives here, John Mellencamp still lives here, Jim Davis still lives here.

          I don’t love living in Indiana for many reasons, but to pretend the only thing to come out of Indiana is Mike Pence is silly. Whatever you think of any of the people I’ve named, you have to admit they have contributed to our culture in major ways.

          • @ephrin
            link
            English
            12 months ago

            Found Mike Pence’s account.

            (J/k, all the Hoosiers I have met have been super nice, I was just playing up the meme)