Disappointment turns to awe watching eclipse at Courthouse Square

Photos by Tom Rivers: It looks like nighttime at 3:20 p.m. looking at the Orleans County Courthouse during the totality of the solar eclipse.

ALBION – More than a year of buildup for today’s total eclipse in Orleans County was feeling like a massive disappointment due to heavy cloud cover.

I didn’t see the partially obstructed sun, but I was outside at the Courthouse Square when it quickly got dark around 3:19 p.m. The sky stayed nearly black for about 4 minutes and then was light again.

The sky was clogged with clouds at about 3:15 at the Courthouse Square.

Jim Boyer works out of the Clerk’s Building with his company, Orleans Abstract & Title Service of Albion. We chatted briefly around 3:15 p.m.

“Disappointing,” he said about the thick clouds in the sky.

But his feelings changed when darkness descended.

“That’s pretty stinking wild,” Boyer exclaimed about the dark sky.

A flock of birds also zoomed overheard during the totality of the eclipse.

Several people from the Clerk’s Office, Real Property Tax Services and Postal Service stepped outside to take in the celestial wonder. While there was plenty of murmuring about the clouds, the plunge in daytime darkness invoked awe.

The daylight vanished and then came back in about four minutes.

“That’s nuts how fast it was,” said Kim Hazel, a County Clerk’s Office employee.

Darkness settles over downtown Albion in this photo looking from the First Presbyterian Church of Albion, which tailored the message on its sign to tie in with today’s historic event, the first total eclipse in Orleans County since 1925.

Robert Cary and his family gathered in the parking lot by the Courthouse with their special eclipse glasses, which didn’t end up being needed. The family is from Albion. Mr. Cary works as a corrections officer at the County Jail and his shift started at 3:30 p.m. He is shown with, from left, daughters Emma, Madison and Kylie, their mother Alyssa Cary, and her mother Susan Devault.

Cary was expecting a big day for the community with many visitors but he said it seemed quieter than usual.

“You make the best of it,” his wife said.

Cheryl Wertman took this photo of the partial eclipse in Medina.

“There was a very brief moment when the eclipse was visible through the clouds as it went towards totality,” she said. “‘Spooky’ was heard as total darkness took over at the moment of totality and a flock of geese flew over sounding like they were very spooked by the sudden darkness.”