'Absolutely extraordinary': Solar eclipse totality leaves crowd in awe just outside Cornwall

“It was like nothing I have ever experienced before.”

Published Apr 08, 2024 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 5 minute read

Families and friends take in the eclipse at Crysler’s Farm outside Cornwall Monday. A man takes some photos while it’s dark. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

UPPER CANADA VILLAGE — When afternoon light turned to darkness here Monday, it was a multi-generational experience for Tim Edwards.

Accompanied by his son, Elliott, daughter, Rilla, and his parents, Len and Margaret, Edwards, of Ottawa, was almost at a loss for words after watching the total solar eclipse.

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“It was transcendent,” he said, moments after totality arrived at 3:25 p.m. “It was like nothing I have ever experienced before. Just to see the ring of that light all of a sudden and then see the sunlight disappear.”

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At the peak moment, the moon was surrounded by the silverish glow of the sun’s corona shining behind it. Adding to the effect was the fact the temperature dropped markedly.

Families and friends take in the eclipse outside Cornwall on Monday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

The three minutes of peak totality marked the only time during the process when it was safe to look at the sun without eclipse glasses.

“I had seen photos of the circle of light just around the black circle (of the moon), but of course nothing compares to seeing it in real life,” said Elliott, 13. “And with our binoculars, you could see it so much clearer.”

Rilla, 12, also says she had an idea about what to expect, but the spectacle left her in awe.

“I don’t want to sound dramatic, but I was blown away,” she said. “It was really cool and there was a slight rainbow around it when you looked at it with the binoculars.”

Grandfather Len echoed those sentiments.

Donna Francis and her son Jonathan view the sun through giant eclipse glasses at Crysler’s Farm Monday. Donna is a researcher at the Ontario Science Centre and has traveled just outside Cornwall to view the eclipse. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

“It was the first time we had a chance to experience something like this,” he said. “We weren’t going to miss it. It was extraordinary, absolutely extraordinary.”

While there originally were concerns that a warm front arriving from the United States Midwest might block the view, the day instead dawned bright here at Crysler’s Farm, 15 minutes east of Cornwall, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River.

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Throughout the morning and early afternoon, there were only a few high clouds in the blue sky.

When the moon first began to cast its shadow over the sun at 2:12 p.m, the eclipse glasses went on. As if on cue, a cargo ship on the St. Lawrence, sailing from east to west, passed by.

Families and friends take in the eclipse at Crysler’s Farm outside Cornwall Monday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

Piece by piece more of the sun disappeared, until the peak moment of totality.

Then the process reversed itself, with the moon gradually sliding out of the picture again until the sun returned completely at 4:37 p.m.

Crysler was a prime spot to watch everything unfold, a place with some military history.

Cornwall was a garrison town during the War of 1812 and a defining battle took place here on Nov. 13, 1813, when 800 British troops turned back an invading United States army of 4,000 that originally had its sights set on advancing further east all the way to Montreal.

Families and friends take in the eclipse at Crysler’s Farm outside Cornwall Monday. A man takes some photos while it is dark Monday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

The spot is marked by cannons and an obelisk that overlooks the St. Lawrence.

All of that made for a picturesque setting for a different kind of historical moment Monday.

The planning began more than a year ago and the details were fine-tuned over the past few months. The event was sold out, with more than 1,100 parking passes bought at $10.

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It was a choice location, to be sure.

Just like Kingston to the west and Montreal to the east, Cornwall sat directly in the path of totality where the circle of the moon’s shadow slid past the circle of the sun.

Families and friends take in the eclipse at Crysler’s Farm outside Cornwall Monday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

From late Monday morning on, the place took on the feel of a festival, with the music blaring: Everything from Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart to Train’s Drops of Jupiter to Elton John’s Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me to Manfred Mann’s Blinded By The Light.

The eclipse-seekers came well prepared with food and games while waiting for the afternoon’s big event to arrive.

Signs on the 401 heading east warned for people to arrive early.

Christine Simonot, Raymond Simonot, Virginia McLeod and Terry Willoughby heeded that advice.

They were first on the scene at 9:30 a.m., setting up their lawn chairs and cooler, with a picturesque view overlooking the St. Lawrence.

The Simonots are from Ottawa. Virginia, Christine’s sister, and Willoughby, flew in from Red Deer, Alta., on Saturday to catch the cosmic rarity.

Christine Simonot , Virginia McLeod, Raymond Simonot and Terry Willougby were the first to arrive to the eclipse viewing area at Chrysler’s Farm Monday morning. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

“We went to the eclipse in Yellowstone (in 2017) and it was like gridlock at the epicentre,” said McLeod. “It was hours and hours of moving an inch at a time. And as it got closer, people started pulling off the road here and there, and we got as far as we could and pulled into a field to watch it.”

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They weren’t leaving anything to chance. This time around, there was some mild concern about cloud cover getting in the way of the experience. McLeod’s son, Connor, who also flew in from Red Deer, opted to rent a car and head further east towards Montreal where there was a better chance of completely clear skies.

Families and friends take in the eclipse at Crysler’s Farm outside Cornwall Monday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

With children not in school due to school board closures owing to safety precautions, many others chose to turn the eclipse watching into their own family day.

Laura Evans was here with her eight-year-old daughter, Lucia. Her good friend, Edie Germain, and her grandchildren, Caleb, 9, and Zoé, 7, were totally prepared for a total eclipse: Food, games, science books and some homemade eclipse crafts.

“We were keen to get an early, early start,” said Evans, who lives in Ottawa.

“I’m expecting something pretty dark, something pretty fancy,” said Lucia.

Families and friends take in the eclipse at Crysler’s Farm outside Cornwall Monday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

Germain, who did her own fair share of homework for the event, came dressed in a shade of green, recognizing that the different colours present alternative shadows during an eclipse.

“Science with Grandma,” she said, with a laugh.

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As they were speaking, 20 others were engaged in a game of Frisbee.

Gloria and Jose Malbonado were ecstatic to be a part of the deal.

Families arrive at Crysler’s Farm outside Cornwall Monday to prepare to get a look at the total eclipse. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

“It’s probably the last one we’ll see in our lifetime,” said Gloria, who moved to Ottawa from Mexico City 20 years ago.

They had previously seen total and partial eclipses in Mexico in 1971, 1979 and 1991.

“In Mexico City, there was a lot of smog,” Gloria said. “That’s not here.”

Instead, it was a day when everyone basked in the sun. And the moon.

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Families and friends take in the eclipse at Crysler’s Farm outside Cornwall Monday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia Families and friends take in the eclipse at Crysler’s Farm outside Cornwall Monday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia Families arrive at Crysler’s Farm outside Cornwall Monday to prepare to get a look at the total eclipse. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia Families arrive at Chrysler’s Farm outside Cornwall Monday to prepare to get a look at the total eclipse. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia