Brown 25 bassist Greg Hedges and guitarist Jerry Mihay are shown in concert. The band will appear at A Total Solarbration, an all-ages event in downtown Columbus April 6-7.
The moon can throw all the shade it wants at the sun concerning April 8’s total solar eclipse. But downtown Columbus plans to shine with a partying perspective at A Total Solarbration April 6-7 at Fourth and Washington streets.
The free outdoor function will include live music, food trucks, children’s activities, a magic show, vendor market and more. The Columbus Downtown Merchants Association is teaming with the city of Columbus and the Columbus Area Visitors Center for the event. And the city has contracted with the nonprofit Red Arch Community Events Inc. to organize the gathering.
Amy Berquist, Red Arch’s chief financial officer, understands that people are curious about how many people the event could attract, considering some authorities have estimated that 150,000 people could visit Bartholomew County roughly from April 5-8.
“That’s the question of the hour,” Berquist said. “We’ve looked at other cities that were in the path of totality before this. And I have no real idea for this one (event). And it turns out that there’s no good way to guess (the attendance).
“But this is one of the first events with the weather turning warmer. And everyone has been stuck inside for winter. And this is something jam-packed with activities, and it’s also very family friendly with a kids zone.”
Plus, there will be food trucks and vendors serving everything from snacksto snow cones to beer and cocktails.
“We’re definitely prepared there,” Berquist said.
Moreover, the music ranges from the classic rock of local group Br0wn 25 on April 6 under InterOculus to even an original solar eclipse piece from the Shelby Community Band April 7 inside The Commons on Sunday.
She added that she and her Red Arch partner Sarah Forbes always hoped to organize other, extensive events beyond December’s Festival of Lights Parade, their inaugural large event.
“We really want to say thank you to the city for allowing us to produce this,” Berquist said.
Erin Hawkins, the visitors center’s director of marketing, said organizers saw Red Arch as a perfect entity to make A Total Solarbration a total success.
“They did such an impressive job of bringing back the Festival of Lights Parade and making it bigger and better than ever,” Hawkins said of the December event that packed Washington Street for blocks. “And we knew that they would be the best to help us bring this event to life.”
Plus, Hawkins added that an event such as this is important beyond just a singular weekend of entertainment.
“We realize that, with so many visitors expected to come into the community, we knew that we would need a lot of fun things for them to do,” she said. “Because we also realize that this could be many people’s introduction to Columbus. And we want to win them over and make them want to come back.
“That was part of our basic desire in planning an event.”
About the event
What: The free A Total Solarbration, with live music, food trucks, children’s activities and more.
When: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. April 6 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 7.
Where: Fourth and Washington streets in downtown Columbus.
Information: Facebook page for A Total Solarbration.
