Visitors, unity are impact of eclipse

They came. They saw, presuming it wasn’t too cloudy. Nebraska conquered. In the span of three hours — with the big show lasting a maximum of 157 seconds — what was billed as the “Great American Eclipse” passed over Nebraska and into Missouri, not to mention the record books. Years of planning and promotion went off without any hitch, beyond some pesky clouds that rolled into southeastern Nebraska right around the moment of totality.

The total solar eclipse drew “hundreds of thousands” of visitors to visit the Good Life, according to the Nebraska Tourism Commission, which also estimated the state received $133 million in publicity related to the phenomenon. Those numbers are staggering, likely proving true Gov. Pete Ricketts’ prediction last month that the eclipse would be the state’s largest-ever tourism event.

One thing that can’t be quantified, though, is the impressive show of unity that stretched from border to border along Nebraska’s 436-mile path of totality.

Calling it “Nebraska nice,” while accurate, would be a bit corny. Thousands of people from all across the country and world came together, whether in Alliance, Ravenna, Lincoln, Beatrice, Falls City or elsewhere, for a collective experience became friends, even if only for a matter of minutes or hours, to share stories and a rare celestial occurrence.

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