FREDERICKSBURG, Texas – Not only is Fredericksburg a destination town. It also happens to be located directly in the path of totality for Monday’s solar eclipse.
Eclipse preparation events were ramping up Saturday and the KSAT crew of myself (Justin Horne), Adam Caskey and photojournalist Ken Huizar found that excitement was building.
We also discovered some colorful characters along the way.
“We’re completely full,” said Jody Seagers, a manager at Arch Ray, a new winery, brewery, and campsite in Fredericksburg. “So, we’re 100% full. We have overflow, so Boondockers and tent sites.”
One of those travelers staying at Arch Ray was a visitor named Russ, who traveled to Fredericksburg from Colorado with friends.
“Well, I talked to my accountant yesterday, and he said one of his customers told him that the Mayan calendar is telling him the world is going to end when the eclipse is over,” Russ told KSAT. “So I’m just hoping to live through it.”
The three of us made our way to downtown Fredericksburg where there were crowds, but it appeared that the big swarm of people expected hadn’t arrived just yet.
“It hasn’t been insanely crazy, yet. Yet,” said G.G. Sander, an employee at Recess, a toy store in downtown Fredericksburg. “But it probably will be tomorrow (Sunday) and then Monday, especially.”
Recess and other shops along the main strip are selling eclipse-themed merchandise throughout the event.
We spoke to Ken Powell, who traveled hours with a large group of family members.
“Sabine Parish,” said Powell when we asked where they traveled from. “It’s about 100 miles south of Shreveport (Louisiana). We’ve been planning this for two years.”
One topic of conversation among everyone that we met was weather. While the forecast calls for some cloud cover, the visitors we talked to just plan on having a good time regardless.
“There’s been very few cancellations and they’ve had nothing to do with the weather,” Seagers said. “We will have blue, open skies here. Not a problem.”
For Powell, we asked him what his expectations are for the eclipse. He answered bluntly.
“For the moon to get in front of the sun!” Powell said.
The KSAT crew will have more reports out of Fredericksburg over the next couple of days.
- Read more from the meteorologists on the Whatever the Weather page
- For more coverage of Monday’s solar eclipse, click here.
- Download KSAT's weather app for customized, accurate forecasts in San Antonio, South Texas or wherever you are
- Find the latest forecasts, radar and alerts on the KSAT Weather Authority page