WASHINGTON: On Monday, millions will gather to experience for the first time in 99 years, a total solar eclipse in the United States.
People gathering in Charleston, South Carolina, will be the last on the continent to experience it. They are ready.
Historic Charleston, with its cobblestone streets and elegant antebellum mansions, was clearly a-bustle on Sunday, in full pre-eclipse mode.
Its restaurants were packed and downtown parking was at a premium as excited locals and tourists strolled cheerfully along the seafront Battery promenade.
“It has been crazy since Friday night,” said bar owner Chaz Wendell.
“This is probably going to be our busiest weekend all year.”
Weather predictions for Monday were iffy — with clouds and scattered thunderstorms predicted through the hours when the eclipse is due, from the moment when the moon first obscures a small arc of the sun, to totality, and through the end of the whole cosmic viewing experience.
For locals, and for those who have come from far away, it is a big deal.
“We’re very excited,” said Brandy Mullins, a 38-year-old stay-at-home mother who moved to Charleston six weeks ago with her family.
