2024 Solar Eclipse

We will be out in force on April 8th, 2024, at Spadra Park just 2 miles south of I-40 in Clarksville, around 1:50 P.M. CST.

1) We now have five rigs as part of our campout to add to the fun this weekend:
Jan and Prudence Hagan
Robert and Dana Hill
Dana and Connie Widboom
Glenn Kilpatrick
Joe and Mary Lou Hott

2) Big news is that NASA has chosen Russellville, AR as the site of their live national broadcast of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Our campground is just a few miles from Russellville right in the middle of the total eclipse zone. Here is an article about NASA’s plans:

NASA’s Live Solar Eclipse Broadcast in Russellville, AR

Well, our BVRC Solar Eclipse Adventure is coming up in less than three weeks at Spadra park in Clarksville and I have requested sunny warm days for the entire weekend including Monday, April 8th!

First, here are again some reminders and considerations to make your camping experience at Spadra the most enjoyable:

1. Consider bringing bicycles to get around the campground as our campsites are in a row together but are spaced pretty far apart. This will make it easy to visit each other during the weekend.

2. Bring lawn chairs and a large folding table if you have one for our Solar Eclipse Potluck and other activities.

3. Bring 100 to 150 feet of potable water hose. There is not water available at each site. If you have enough hose, it may be possible to share a water connection with a site that does have water. If not, we can fill your freshwater tank from the water connection at our site before you move on to set up at your site.

4. If you have a portable dump tank, you might want to bring that along. We will be camping from Friday to Tuesday, so you may need to dump your tanks. Using a portable dump tank is better than having to move your rig to the dump station and back.

5) Spadra COE is located in the Dardanelle Wildlife Management Area, US-7280.
Activating this park as a Parks On The Air site during the solar eclipse weekend is sure to be an attraction to POTA hunters around the country and the world.
Weekend Schedule of Activities

I know that we will have lots of time for radio operations, relaxing and “hanging out” during the weekend, but, in consideration of our significant others who will not be operating I have a proposed schedule for this special weekend that will balance opportunities on the air with fun and interesting activities surrounding the solar eclipse designed to be interesting to us all. Here is the proposed schedule:

Friday, April 5th

“Dessert Night Around the Firepit” 7:30 pm – After you arrive, set up and have dinner join the Hagans at site C5 for dessert and conversation around the firepit. Bring a beverage and a dessert to share if you like. The Hagans will have desserts for you to sample as well. We will coordinate our radio operations plans for the weekend over dessert.

Saturday, April 6th

At 11:00 am, we’ll take a trip into Russellville for NASA’s Solar Eclipse Presentation and a visit to the Eclipse Market 2024. After, we can have a homestyle early dinner at one of Russellville’s local favorites, the Old South restaurant, recently rebuilt after being destroyed by fire last year. Later in the weekend, Russellville will be packed, so this is a good opportunity to avoid the biggest crowds.

Sunday, April 7th

“Breakfast burritos with fresh fruit by WB5JAN and KI5TGY” 8:30 am. Join us for a Sunday breakfast with burritos filled with eggs, bacon, and cheese as well as fresh fruit, orange juice and coffee to get our Sunday going.

“Antiques, Resales, and Shopping and Lunch” 11:00 am For those not busy with radio operations, explore the many antique stores and other shopping opportunities around the area.

Monday, April 8th

The Zone of Totality starts shortly after 1:45 pm. Let’s take a quick break from our “oohs and aahs” during the totality to get a group picture with our solar glasses! The totality will go fast, but the memories will stay with us for life.

Total Solar Eclipse Potluck 4:00 pm. Sure, it’s called a potluck, but in our case it’s mostly luck as many people are bringing one of their specialties to share. With our guests joining us for the day, we will have about 14 or 15 of us for the potluck.

Here is the menu:

Angus Cheeseburgers on Brioche Buns – The Hagan’s
Famous Family Recipe Baked Beans – The Hill’s
To Die For Deviled Eggs – The Widboom’s
Best Potato Salad Money Can Buy – Glenn Kilpatrick
Solar Salad and Eclipse Chips – The Hott’s
Potluck Side Dish or Dessert – Tom Northfell, W5XNA, Rebecca Garrett, N5REB, Mark Whittlesey, W0KYZ, Jill Grow, K0MQT

OK, let’s have some fun!
I’m looking forward to sharing this major cosmic event with you all!

Jan
WB5JAN