Watching the eclipse in Paducah, Kentucky
A little girl gets pumped up for the total solar eclipse at the “Night at Noon” event in Paducah, Ky. (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)
People in Paducah had a lot of interesting contraptions, from low- to high-tech, to watch the eclipse. (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)
Kentucky’s only astronaut, Terry Wilcutt, talked about his four missions in space at the “Night at Noon” event at West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah. (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)
These kids in matching eclipse T-shirts were all smiles as they waited to watch the show at “Night at Noon” in Paducah, Ky. (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)
This family from Bloomington, Ill., made the trip to Paducah, Ky., to be in the “path of totality” for Monday’s solar eclipse. (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)
People hang out on the lawn for the “Night at Noon” eclipse-viewing event in Paducah, Ky. (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)
A crowd gathered on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah to watch the eclipse. Many brought umbrellas to shield themselves from the scorching sun. Temperatures were in the low 90s. (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)
Sam Kirchhoff, whose family bakery in Paducah goes back six generations, holds a tray of eclipse cookies, including a blue one in the shape of Kentucky, with a black band marking the path of totality. (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)
Even the big red yak outside downtown Paducah’s Yeiser Art Center wore eye protection for the eclipse. (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)
Kirchhoff’s Bakery & Deli, a Paducah institution, got into the eclipse spirit with these tasty macarons. (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)