Wills Point planning ‘Eclipse on the Bricks’ viewing party for 2024 total eclipse

WILLS POINT, Texas (KLTV) - As we get closer to the Great North American Solar Eclipse, more towns that will experience 100 percent totality are beginning preparations for events planned the weekend before and on the big day.

The City of Wills Point has a population of just under 4,000. On April 8, they expect their population to increase by between 5,000-10,000 people as people come to see the total eclipse. Lea Kottwitz, manager of operations at the Wills Point Chamber of Commerce, said they have been working on the plans for the celebrations for around six months now.

“I have attended some special community event-planning workshops dealing with the eclipse, and so we started planning as soon as I got back from one of those workshops,” Kottwitz said.

The Chamber is planning a big event for April 6, the Saturday before the eclipse.

“We have an event that we’re calling Eclipse on the Bricks. We’re going to have vendors that will be here, we will have entertainment, we’ll have a kid-zone area, and we’ll also have special event-themed activities for the kids where they can learn a little bit more about the eclipse,” Kottwitz said.

They will also be setting up viewing areas at Lester Park and at the Van Zandt County Regional Airport on April 8.

The town hosts a spring festival event downtown every year, but thought it would be a great opportunity to tie this year’s in with the eclipse.

“We really just wanted to have viewing areas, that way people can experience the eclipse on their own and really enjoy the awe and the wonder of the eclipse without some of the other distractions,” Kottwitz said.

The total solar eclipse will happen on April 8 around 1:43 p.m. in Wills Point. It is estimated to last around four minutes and 20 seconds.

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