The municipality of Saint-Georges is ready for the solar eclipse while several thousand people from the four corners of Quebec and even from almost everywhere on the planet are expected for this unique spectacle which will not happen again in Quebec before the year 2106.
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Several hotels and restaurants that offered special packages are fully booked since the city is in the middle of the path of the eclipse and the weather conditions are expected to be exceptional.
“This is a good thing. Usually at this time of the year we talk about floods so for once we are going to have something interesting, extraordinary and positive so it is important that people benefit from it,” says the mayor. de Saint-Georges, Claude Morin.
“Everything is planned with the emergency services to ensure smooth operation. Yes, we expect to receive thousands of people, but we are ready to receive them,” he added.
The large gathering will take place at the back of Carrefour Saint-Georges. People are therefore invited to park in front of the Carrefour as well as in the surrounding streets, since parking at the rear will be reserved for admiring the eclipse.
The mayor invites people to arrive early and kill two birds with one stone by visiting the municipality since he anticipates that traffic will be more difficult than usual due to general interest in the eclipse.
“Everything is ready”
After several days of preparations, the organizer of the Saint-Georges gathering, Benoit Bélanger, also says he is ready to welcome people for this historic moment.
“Everything is ready. We have a beautiful site and plenty of parking nearby. We also invite people to bring chairs because it still lasts 2 hours 20 minutes, but it will be quite a spectacle, especially since the conditions are absolutely perfect,” he explains.
The organizer of the Saint-Georges gathering, Benoit Bélanger | Credit: Nicolas St-Pierre
Don’t panic for those who still don’t have glasses, since there will be around 12,000 pairs to distribute for free on Monday.
However, he specifies that they should pass quickly, which is why he also suggests that people arrive as early as the beginning of the morning since the eclipse should begin around 2:18 p.m. before ending around 4:39 p.m. The total eclipse will take place from 3:29 p.m. to 3:32 p.m.
Photo of the sun taken by Mr. Bélanger Sunday afternoon about 24 hours before the eclipse | Photo provided by Benoit Bélanger
Several hours for a few minutes
The latter admits to having spent several hours planning the gathering, but that it was worth it since he believes that it will be a magical moment for everyone.
“This week, my life changed overnight,” he said with a laugh.
“I must have received around 2,500 emails, my phone didn’t ring either, but it’s a passion and I do it to see the smiles tomorrow. When everyone looks and says wow at the same time, it will be the pay of a lifetime for me,” concluded the astronomy enthusiast.