Note: Sandra Torres will provide live reporting from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of live solar eclipse coverage beginning at 7 a.m. on NBC Chicago and Telemundo Chicago. You can watch the special broadcast here.
Eclipse fever is engulfing the entire country, but especially in parts of the 15 states on the path to the once-in-a-generation spectacle. Although the Chicago area is not located along this road, many residents move to the closest communities along this road in southern Illinois and central Indiana.
And they're not the only ones making the journey.
Traffic increased significantly along Interstate 65 and Route 41 Sunday afternoon as swarms of drivers headed toward the road, according to a Newton County Emergency Management Agency Facebook post. .
There is excitement in many towns where the event will occur, including Lebanon, Indiana, a city of about 16,000 people located about 32 miles northwest of Indianapolis. In honor of Boone County's “total solar eclipse,” banners with the words “Mooned in Boone” are posted around downtown.
The festivities began with an all-day scavenger hunt on Sunday, prior to the light show and concert scheduled for that evening.
NBC Chicago spoke to two women from Hammond, Indiana, who were in Brownsburg on their way to see the eclipse.
“It's everywhere. It's crazy,” said one Hammond resident. “There's a lot of traffic on I-65. More than normal. Everywhere you look. I saw decorated cars here on I-65…If you're going to see the eclipse, honk your horn. Please ring it up…it’s kind of crazy.”
Along with Lebanon and other communities in central Indiana, Indianapolis is fully committed to this once-in-a-lifetime event. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is affiliated with NASA and is one of three broadcast locations across the country.
Spectators from 48 U.S. states and 20 countries, as well as six NASA astronauts, are expected to spend a day filled with education, panels and demonstrations, culminating with a view of the observatory. I am.
