People might have been impeded from a full eclipse experience by clouds in the sky and muddy ground underfoot, but about 80 people still made it out to see the solar event first-hand at Saratoga Hill Park in Amherst.
The weather might have improved the process because it kept them waiting for moments when the clouds parted, resident Robert Dauria said.
“When we had the moments of like openings in the clouds, it was a lot more exciting. You could hear people cheering. I feel like if it was completely clear skies, we would have just been like, staring at it for an hour. Yeah, so I think it, honestly, kind of made it more fun.”
Fawn Bova says that as a Seneca-Tribe descendant, the eclipse has additional significance, since the Haudenosaunee Confederacy was founded centuries ago on the day of a solar eclipse.
“This area was in the path of totality was when the Five Nations came together and signed the great law of peace. So, they made it extra special, we brought some homegrown Indian tobacco that we left out as, kind of like, a thanks to the creator for that. And I'm just really excited that I got to celebrate that anniversary.”
