Eclipse Fest
Merchandise on sale until April 15th!
Did you miss out on Irondequoit Eclipse Fest? Together in Totality merchandise? You’re in luck! The online store is back open until midnight on Monday, April 15. Check out the T-Shirts, sweatshirts and awesome hoodies.
FREE ADMISSION & SHUTTLE; NO PARKING ON SITE
Event will happen rain or shine
Free shuttles run every 15 minutes from the Town of Irondequoit Recreation Center (former Medley Centre), 450 Skyview Centre Parkway. We encourage families to walk or park in lots at Dake Jr. HS and Irondequoit HS. If biking to Helmer, feel free to lock your bike at bike racks located around the property or connected to fencing onsite. Helmer and WICSD are not responsible for unlocked bikes and no biking is permitted on Nature Center trails.
Fun for all: We'll have a bounce house for kids, telescopes with solar filters, crafts and hands-on activities, informational sessions, a self-guided planet hike, ham radios, and a NASA live stream of the eclipse!
HNC IN SELECT COMPANY
Helmer Nature Center, West Irondequoit’s 40-acre outdoor classroom since 1973, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It is one of just a handful of sites in the Rochester area that will host on-site activities the day of the eclipse. It was selected last spring by the Rochester Museum and Science Center to serve as a local “Ambassador” organization for the eclipse.
FREE GLASSES FOR ALL WICSD STUDENTS & STAFF!
All West Irondequoit CSD students and staff will receive free eclipse glasses. They’ll be sent home with students the week before Spring Recess.
NEED ADDITIONAL GLASSES!
Helmer Nature Center is offering certified eclipse glasses for a $2 donation each. To purchase, call (585) 336-3035 to arrange a time to pick them up or email here. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If any are left, they will be available at the Festival on April 8.
HOW TO USE YOUR GLASSES
- Discard if they become scratched; THEY ARE NO LONGER SAFE. Store them in your envelope until you are ready to use them.
- To use, hold lenses against your face or glasses. You MUST use eclipse glasses anytime you look at the sun except during “totality” (April 8, 2024 3:20-3:23 PM).
- These are 1000x darker than sunglasses. You will not see anything through them except the sun on a totally clear day. It is not safe to use eclipse glasses to look through a camera, binoculars or a telescope.
- Only purchase glasses that are both ISO and CE certified safe.
Photo taken on 4/8/23 at 3:20 to show the sun position at HNC for the 2024 total Solar Eclipse
THANK YOU, SPONSORS!
HNC would like to extend thanks to sponsors, including Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Town of Irondequoit Recreation, the Rochester Museum and Science Center for their support.
FUN ECLIPSE WORKSHEETS
Looking for fun activities to help prep your child or student for the eclipse? Print out one of these worksheets!
Eclipse Word Search
Eclipse Myth Worksheet
Eclipse Mad Libs
Eclipse Vocabulary Fill-in-the-Blank
'ROC’ IN RARE AIR
Rochester will be one of only eight cities in the U.S. to experience the totality of the eclipse (3:20 p.m.). Others are Austin, Fort Worth and Dallas in Texas; Indianapolis, Cleveland and Buffalo. The total eclipse will be visible by 32 million Americans and also in Mazatlan, Mexico and Montreal. The last total solar eclipse in the U.S. on Aug. 21, 2017.
MORE EVENTS AT HELMER
From its annual Fall Harvest Festival in October to Snowshoeing on Saturdays in the winter and Maple Sugaring in March, HNC hosts many events throughout the year. Check out their calendar here.
GET SOCIAL
Follow Helmer Nature Center on Facebook
QUESTIONS?
Call (585) 336-3035 or email
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities. Accommodations for persons with special needs may be requested by contacting the CCE-Monroe office at 585-753-2550 by Monday, April 1st.