With the Great American Solar Eclipse only weeks away, cities and towns throughout southeast Missouri are prepping for one of the biggest events of the year. Perryville, one of the places that falls right into the eclipse’s pathway, is celebrating the event by installing the base of a sundial on the city’s courthouse lawn.
Trish Erzfeld, Perry County Heritage Tourism director, says they wanted something symbolic the community could reflect back on.
“We thought a sundial was the perfect monument that everyone could enjoy and come back and visit time and time again,” says Erzfeld. “And while they do that, they can also reflect back on the eclipse.”
The base of the sundial is made from limestone, which is the same material as the foundation of the courthouse. Three plates will be installed around the base of the sundial, commemorating the eclipse, and teaching visitors how to read the dial.
The sundial’s designer Abraham Mohler will set the dial plate on August 18, and the full monument will be unveiled at 11 a.m. on August 19, during Perryville’s Solarfest.
Don Snyder, a member of the North American Sundial Society, sundial designer Abraham Mohler, Perryville Commissioners, Perryville County Clerk, and many others are participating in the establishment of the sundial.
