Portage Park District plans eclipse events

The Portage Park District will host a solar eclipse prep program April 6 to share information about eclipses and to teach participants how to safely view them. The event is set for 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Morgan Park Operations Center, 8505 Nicodemus Rd. in Ravenna.

Attendees will also make cereal box viewers which will enable them to indirectly view the eclipse. The National Park Service advises that only approved safety glasses are to be used to look directly at the sun as the eclipse is occurring.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Anyone interested in attending the prep program must register at https://www.portagecounty-oh.gov/portage-park-district/things-do/webforms/equip-eclipse-april-6 and complete the online form.

On eclipse day itself, park naturalists will host first-come, first-served guided tours and eclipse talks at Trail Lake Park in Streetsboro and Morgan Park in Ravenna. People attending either event should plan on meeting at the park kiosk at 2 p.m. and plan on staying until 4 p.m.

Registration is not required, but the Portage Park District cautions that they cannot guarantee parking at either event. Parking at Morgan Park is limited to 30 vehicles; parking at Trail Lake Park is limited to 75 vehicles.