You’ve heard everyone talking about it and might have wondered what all the fuss is about, so we’ve collected all of the eclipse info and events centered around this celestial event in Cape Girardeau!

Cape Girardeau will experience about 1 minute and 48 seconds under the Moon’s shadow in this once-in-a-lifetime event on Monday, August 21, 2017. The edge of the moon will start to overlap the edge of the sun at 11:52 a.m., and the sun will be completely covered by the moon, called totality, at 1:20 p.m.  The moon will stop covering the sun and the eclipse ends at 2:49 p.m. 

Get a sneak peek of the eclipse at Discovery Playhouse; their Planetarium offers shows of this event Saturdays at 11:30, 1:30 and 3:30 and Sundays at 2:30.  

In town for the eclipse on Sunday, August 20? Stop by “Astronomy at the Crossroads,” a free lecture at Southeast Missouri State University that lays out the science behind the eclipse.

If you’re looking to purchase eclipse glasses prior to August 21, local retailers are all out! Here’s how you can build a pinhole projector to view the eclipse. 

The Cape Sportsplex is the site of a community wide viewing party, with free t-shirts commemorating this celestial event for the first 200 attendees, and glasses on hand for the first 1,500.  Food trucks (Melting Co and 2 Sides BBQ!) will be on hand and you’ll have a chance to take in this incredible event surrounded by family and friends in a fun, festive atmosphere.  It’s free, and we hope to see you there! When the Sportsplex fills up, overflow locations include Cape County Parks, the Osage Centre, Shawnee Sports Complex and Arena Park. 

Other area viewing parties include events at Houck Field and at the River Campus as well as Keller’s at Isle Casino Cape Girardeau. 

Watch with your four-legged friend at Mississippi Mutts on  Monday the 21st, where they’ll have homemade moon pies to munch on (for humans) and lots of treats for your pup. Cup ‘n Cork will have a special lunch that day that come with free eclipse glasses, and Annie Laurie’s is hosting a little yard party with all of our friends to watch the eclipse with free light refreshments (sweet tea and moonpies!), and solar eclipse spectacles available for purchase. 

Southeast Missouri State University has a packed schedule of eclipse oriented events, including a Solar Eclipse keynote from Dr. Michio Kaku plus viewing events at Houck Stadium and the River Campus and more; get the full run down here. Keller’s at Isle Casino Cape Girardeau is also putting on a viewing party, complete with buffet. 

Cape Girardeau’s hotels are booked up and we look forward to welcoming folks from all over the world for the big show!

Above all, make sure you can safely enjoy the total solar eclipse; NASA has excellent safety information available here. 

Share the wonder! Tag your pictures with #VisitCape.