It’s a countdown to Arkansas’ third total solar eclipse as UCA and the city of Conway prepare for several themed events and an astronomical influx of expected visitors to the state’s center. 

The eclipse will occur on the afternoon of April 8, with the partial phase expected to begin at 12:33 p.m. and totality expected to begin at 1:51 p.m. The totality phase should last around 3 minutes and 56 seconds, which means viewers will get to experience almost four full minutes of daytime darkness. The partial phase of the eclipse is expected to end at 3:11 p.m. 

Viewers await over two and a half hours of eclipse activity sandwiched between a wide range of planned eclipse-themed festivities, and people are expected to travel here from all over the country to witness this captivating cosmic phenomenon. 

This kind of historical event comes with concerns for public safety. The UCA Police Department has been working to prepare for the unknown number of people planning to attend campus eclipse events and potential traffic congestion, cell phone congestion — when too many users access the network at once, and dubious spring weather, according to officer Michael Hopper. 

Hopper said UCAPD has been working on traffic control plans, including parking management, for the day of the eclipse. 

The department has been “identifying areas of campus that will need to be closed to vehicle traffic to allow the public ease of access to areas of the campus where events are being held and identifying appropriate locations for information and medical stations to assist campus visitors,” Hopper said. 

Richard Shumate, professor and advisor of UCA’s yearbook, The Scroll, said he’s skeptical Conway will have to deal with anything too crazy on eclipse day.

Shumate has previously witnessed a total solar eclipse because he lived in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was in the path of totality during the 2017 eclipse.

“There were a lot of conversations before the eclipse that all of these people were going to arrive and there were going to be traffic jams and all this stuff was going to happen. That did not turn out to be the case. It turned out to be pretty much a normal day except that the sun went out in the middle of the day,” Shumate said.

Shumate said it seemed like almost everybody in his town got the day off during the 2017 eclipse.

“I think that kind of alleviated some of the problems that might have happened because everybody was kind of just at home or went somewhere close to see the eclipse,” Shumate said.

Shumate said he doesn’t think an excessive number of out-of-towners will flock to Conway for the eclipse because the path of totality spans from Texas to Maine and includes major cities like San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Indianapolis and Cleveland. 

UCAPD hasn’t received specific training regarding the eclipse, but it has met with a designated planning committee of cosmic proportions.

Based on the information provided by Hopper and Fredricka Sharkey, director of media relations at UCA, members of this group include UCA administration, the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, the Conway Police Department, the Conway Fire Department, Pafford Medical Services, UCA Information Technology, UCA’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, UCA’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, University Marketing and Communications, the Conway Convention and Visitors Bureau and other individuals both on and off UCA’s campus. UCA Chief of Staff Amy Whitehead leads the committee.

“These meetings started in September of 2022 and were used to discuss possible needs to provide an enjoyable experience during the eclipse,” Hopper said. 

UCAPD meets weekly with this group to discuss campus activities during the big day. 

UCA will host a campus-wide eclipse watch party at Estes Stadium on April 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will feature art vendors, food trucks, games, free eclipse glasses and more. The Eclipse 2024 Street Fair, featuring live music, food trucks and other activities, will take place nearby on Bruce Street. 

For more information about the eclipse, check out The Echo’s prior eclipse coverage at ucanews.live or visit uca.edu/eclipse for a list of related events, resources and a countdown to totality.