Watch parties being held all over Trumbull County for once in lifetime total solar eclipse

Excitement is in the air in Trumbull County ahead of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse.

“There's definitely a big local buzz,” Samantha Ensminger, a marketing coordinator at the Trumbull County Tourism Bureau said. “This is a big deal to have it right in your hometown like this.”

The bureau doesn’t know how many people will travel to the county - but they’re preparing for a lot. There will be several free day-of watch parties all over the county.

In Warren, there will be events at the Kinsman Free Public Library, Mollenkopf Stadium, the Skyway drive-in, Clover Recycling and Putt-Putt of Warren.

In Niles, the Eastwood Mall will have activities and a viewing party in the parking lot by Mudslingers.

In Fowler, at one of the highest points in Trumbull County, Hartford Winery will have a viewing party.

In Cortland, the Cortland City Center will have music, food trucks and more, and Mosquito Lake will host nearly 3,000 people at the beach pavilion.

In Lordstown, Foxconn EV System will have telescopes with solar filters for people to watch the eclipse.

For out of towners, there are a few places offering packages including the Grand Resort in Warren, the Residence Inn by Marriott in Niles and the Mosquito lake Campgrounds in Bazetta.

“A lot of these places have eclipse glasses, not all of them do so it’s important to be prepared. If you don't have glasses I would find a pair,” Ensminger said.

Mosquito Lake will have a watch party on their beach pavilion with free glasses. The park is in the path of full totality and will get more than 2 minutes of the eclipse. Naturalists say you’ll get a better view at the park compared to in your front yard.

“One of the things you’ve got to worry about is light pollution,” Jason Lee, a naturalist at Mosquito Lake said. “A lot of people really want the clean crisp view of it and we don't have a lot of light pollution down here when it comes to that so you won't have to worry about any lights kicking on.”

The watch party at Mosquito Lake begins at 2 p.m. Anyone that comes early can learn about how the birds in the park are affected by the eclipse.

“When you have these animals they really get kind of discombobulated with the eclipse,” Lee said. “A lot of these birds when that happens they’ll kind of set in for the night. If you're on a farm they'll talk about roosters resetting.”

With the crowds - traffic could be backed up by the Mosquito Lake grounds and in the city of Warren.

“Come early and plan ahead for the departure as well … don’t plan on getting here at 3 (p.m.) for the 3:15 (p.m.) viewing and make it on time and then get out an hour later,” Ensminger said.

And if you don't want to deal with traffic, locals do have another option.

“You can just go stand outside in your front yard,” Ensminger said. “With clouds, it's still going to be an eclipse. You are going to notice a change, it’ll feel like night time, the birds will go away, street lights will come on. It will still be a spectacular event.”

A full list of all the watch parties in Trumbull County can be found here.