Stringbean and the Boardwalk Social Club are scheduled to play during the eclipse on the Asbury Park boardwalk.
The total solar eclipse will be visible Mon., April 8.
By WILLIAM CLARK
New Jersey may not be in the path of totality for the upcoming solar eclipse, but with an expected coverage of 90 percent people around the shore are eagerly anticipating the natural phenomenon.
If you’re looking for away to celebrate consider attending the Total Eclipse Viewing Party with Stringbean and the Boardwalk Social Club from 2 to 4 p.m. Mon., April 8 at LowDive on the Asbury Park Boardwalk.
Having performed during the last solar eclipse in the area in 2017, the band will be reigniting their act for the last eclipse that is scheduled to cross the United States until the 2040s.
Ken Sorensen AKA Stringbean said a documentary of the event is being filmed to detail the changes in the past seven years. The original documentary, filmed by Sarah Galloway, recorded the band riding their bikes to the gig during the August eclipse.
Galloway, a Wanamassa resident, recently debuted another documentary about backyard flower planting in hopes of attracting pollinators.
Sorensen, of Bradley Beach said eclipse glasses will be available at the performance for viewers to experience the event. Special protection is needed when looking at the eclipse.
“It’s a fun event,” Sorensen said. “It’s great to see everybody and it’s great to see a natural phenomenon.”
During the peak coverage, expected to be around 3:24 p.m. the band will play a song that was inspired by the previous event: Solar Eclipse of the Sun.
Sorensen said he is going to keep an eye on other natural occurrences. The easiest will be a lunar eclipse. One is expected at approximately 8 p.m. Wed., Sept. 18 in New Jersey.
If the band decidesto play during a solar flare, expect acoustic music because eruptions from the sun have been known to affect electronics on Earth.
Residents in the area are also making plans to view the eclipse.
Brittany Sutter of Oakhurst said she will be at work.
“So I don’t know how much I will get to see,” she said. “I am hoping to be able to go outside at least for a few minutes to experience it.”
Nick Otto of Neptune said he saw the eclipse in 2017 and was disappointed.
“I hope this time we get more totality in this area,” he said. “It will depend on what kind of weather we get that day. I guess we will have to wait and see how it goes.”
Ed Howard of Tinton Falls said he is looking forward to Monday.
I read New Jersey is supposed to get around 85 percent coverage so we should get a good view of what is happening,” he said.
Sara Mosley of Neptune City said the viewing should be better than it was in 2017.
“I was going to try to go to Ocean County College to the Planetarium party to watch it,” she said. “ I did it in 2017 and it was pretty cool.”
The timing of this year’s eclipse will also impact schools. As the moon is scheduled to begin its transit of the sun around 2 p.m. administrators are considering the implications on lessons and after school activities.
Unless students are equipped with special glasses, the danger of looking directly at the sun exists. Ocean Township School Superintendent Kelly Weldon said the district is altering dismissal procedures to ensure safety. Students throughout the district will be provided lessons throughout the day. The district purchased the special glasses as well.
“Classes will be about the science of eclipse but also the safety of the eclipse,” she said.
The district is also canceling after school practices and ensuring that athletic events take place after 5 p.m. that day.
The timing of the eclipse might necessitate special considerations for schools, but it is fortuitous that teachers will be able to craft lessons throughout the day for students and then experience the practical nature in the afternoon.
“It’s a historic event and we’re trying to focus on that part of it,” Weldon said.