Historic Solar Eclipse Draws Hundreds to Riverside Park in Port Jervis

Hundreds of residents in the Port Jervis area came to witness the historic solar eclipse at a public viewing event at Riverside Park on April 8. Despite uncooperative clouds, most viewers got a glimpse of the sun when the moon covered nine-tenths of it—the maximum eclipse observable in the area. “You can see the shadow of the moon taking over the sun, which is pretty amazing,” Port Jervis Middle School science teacher Randall Wright said. Using a microphone from a raised platform, Mr. Wright explained the theory behind the eclipse to the viewing public. “Make a show with your hands,” he said. “All shadows right now will show a chunk taken out of them—anything on the ground that has a show will have a little piece taken out of it.”...