On Monday April 8, 2024, the total solar eclipse will be happening here in Crawford County. Here in Palestine, they will be having the “2024 Eclipse Street Fair” From 10 am to 4 pm on Main Street. The normal Main Street merchants will be open for their regular hours unless they have posted otherwise.
All Main Street merchants will be having sidewalk sales that day plus street vendors such as Think Pink, Jenny Finley, Terri Inboden, Tonia Holubek, Lee Lawhead, Talee Presley Harris, Missy Brown, Karen Patrick Newman, Laura White, Chamber of Commerce (selling 2023 Rodeo T-shirts), Gen Radwesswl, Connie Lemar, Martha Venatta, Ella Miller, and Tosha Miller will be on Main Street as well. Homeplate will have a special Eclipse meal. Homeslice will be open, as well as the Little Cookie Shop. The Palestine Chamber of Commerce will have a limited amount of eclipse glasses to hand out during that day only. If you are interested in setting up a booth during this Street Fair, contact Laura White at 618-554-8512. Come hang out on one of the oldest main streets in Illinois!
On a different note, all schools in Crawford county have decided to canceled school the day of the eclipse due to the concerns of high traffic throughout the county during school dismissals as a result of the solar eclipse. This increase in traffic could impact bus travel and the availability of response personnel in the case of an emergency. The districts will be sending home eclipse glasses for all the students to observe the eclipse from home.
