FOREST, Ohio — In Hardin County rests a small village with a population of just 1,300.
The village of Forest, Ohio will soon be bustling with a lot more visitors than it’s used to – all thanks to the total solar eclipse on April 8.
Why? It’s one of the locations in the country that will experience the longest period of totality; meaning the sky will stay darker for longer as the moon crosses the path of the sun.
Forest will experience totality for 3 minutes and 56 seconds.
“NASA contacted the village and said, ‘Guess what? You’re it!’” said Forest Mayor Dave Book. “It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime thing you get to experience, and it’s right here in our backyard.”
The number of visitors who could show up to Forest to experience the eclipse could be in the thousands.
“There’s a little bit of nervousness because we do have so many people that are possibly going to show up,” said John Parthemore, who lives in Forest. “But it’s also a feeling of excitement because Forest is just a little village.”
To accommodate its guests, the village has designated a local park, a soccer field, and a square for viewing, and is hoping they have everything they will need to keep people comfortable and happy, and the town clean.
“We’re getting dumpsters for trash. We’re getting cardboard trash boxes and things like that. Porta-potties,” said Book.
And of course, there will be lots of vehicles rolling in for the occasion.
“I am worried about where people are going to park. As long as my driveway is not blocked, we should be good. Please don’t pull on my lawn," said Parthemore.
Totality of the solar eclipse in Forest will start at 3:10 p.m. and peak at 3:12 p.m. on April 8.
Mayor Book is hoping for the best for his town.
“If we get 10,000, we got problems. If we get 100, welcome aboard,” said Book.
Forest was founded in the 1850s and even though the roads have gone from dirt to pavement, there’s still only one stoplight in the town.
“This was quite the bustling town back, oh 50 years ago,” said Book. "But as the years went by, downtown just started to dwindle.”