A rare celestial event arrived in Belleville on Monday.
Visitors and residents gathered across the city, including at Meyers Pier and West Zwick’s Park, to witness a total solar eclipse.
At the pier, Quinte Arts Council used the occasion to have artists paint and create works of art as the eclipse made its way through the region.
The event titled “En Plein Air in the Path of Totality” brought artists, not only from Belleville, but from outside the area to take part.
“Everybody has set up where they want. All of the artists chose their spots. Some of them began early,” said executive director of the Quinte Arts Council, Janet Jarrell. “So they’ve been painting the Bay Bridge, Meyers Pier, and getting ready for the path of totality.”
Artists showed up around 1 p.m. and continued throughout the eclipse.
Painters and artists at Meyers Pier before the total solar eclipse arrived in Belleville. April 8, 2024. (Photo: Zach McGibbon/Quinte News)
While tough to see through a cloudy day, the total eclipse arrived in the City of Belleville just after 3:20 p.m. on Monday.
As the eclipse drew closer, the skies grew darker with street lights turning on at one point.
The full eclipse lasted a few minutes, with people cheering and applauding as the sun began shining over the crowd.
Once the eclipse finished, the crowd at Meyers Pier quickly left.
Brock Aspeck and Ben Martin are two Belleville area residents who went down to the pier to witness the eclipse.
“I’m really into space stuff so I was really, really excited for this to happen,” Martin tells Quinte News.
“When I figured out that the totality was gonna be happening over here, I was obviously really excited. So I’ve been planning on coming to see it for a while. It was just really cool to see it actually come.”
Aspeck also shared the same sentiments being able to witness the event.
“You’re just sitting there and then just a shadow whooshes over the water over onto you. Even though the cloud blocked it a little bit, it was still just an absolutely breathtaking experience,” Aspeck says.
Brock Aspeck (L) and Ben Martin (R) with their camera post eclipse at Meyers Pier. April 8, 2024. (Photo: Zach McGibbon/Quinte News)
The 2024 total solar eclipse passed through parts of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
The event won’t be seen in this country again until 2044.
Residents and visitors gathered at the park close to Meyers Pier to witness the total solar eclipse celestial event. April 8, 2024. (Photo: Zach McGibbon/Quinte News)
With files from the Canadian Press
