Monday, August 21, 2017. Highlight that date on your calendar so you do not forget. No, this is not a Doomsday prophecy story, or a Chicken Little "The sky is falling!" account. Nor is it a Dean Kuch Horror tale. We all know how exceedingly well he crafts them. Ladies and gentlemen, if you will kindly provide me your undivided attention, I will prove to you that this is reality.

The aforementioned date is when this natural event will transpire from approximately 10:15am Pacific Time to about 2:49pm Eastern Standard Time. Those residing within a sixty to seventy-mile wide path, from Oregon to South Carolina, will experience this wonderful occurrence as the moon moves in front of the sun and daylight becomes darkness.

Where will this phenomenon happen? Totality of the eclipse will be featured in broad sections of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Corners of Iowa, Kansas, Georgia, and North Carolina will display these effects as well.

The Grand Tetons in Wyoming, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennesssee, and the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina are expecting record-breaking crowds of eclipse chasers for this wondrous demonstration of nature. Several other National Parks will be good observation points, too. Or, you can always climb the nearest mountain to participate in this glorious happening. But, no falling off the top of the mountain permitted. "Look out below!"

Imagine an eclipse as a sunset, instantly followed by the sunrise. In other words, an incredibly short night! Another element of a total eclipse of the sun may be a three-hundred-and-sixty degree darkness. The sounds of nature sharpen. Roosters crow. Birds turn silent, and foraging animals stop eating to seek safety shelters.

In the case of bad weather, this eclipse can be witnessed from a tall vantage location. Also, the expected driest portion of the path of this eclipse will be from Eastern Oregon to Western Nebraska.

Those who reside in, or near, Casper, Wyoming, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Carbondale, Illinois, Jefferson City, Missouri, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sylva, North Carolina will be celebrating this eclipse with specially planned events. So, what are these "specially planned events" you may deem to wonder? Well:

-an "Eclipse Con" festival, complete with tailgate parties and concerts, is featured for those living between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Carbondale, Illinois. This area expects more than 50,000 attendees for the eclipse, which is estimated to last all of 2 minutes and 40 seconds in that area

-in Oregon's Ochoco National Forest there will be music, theater, yoga...yes, yoga, and art installations for the more than 20,000 people expected

-situated in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the Hotel Jackson will present an "eclipse concierge" to assist their guests in planning $699.00-a-night stays. That's $699.00-a-night, folks!

-Jefferson City, Missouri plans a "Dark Side Of The Moon" Pink Floyd Tribute Band concert. Pink Floyd was a popular Rock Band of the 1970s. Dark Side Of The Moon was their commercial breakthrough record. The one that placed them on the musical map, so to speak

-Sylva, North Carolina will host a "Moonlight Madness" Run

-the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a "Star Wars Musiclipse"

-the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is getting in on this rare occasion by developing an online weather map along the route of the eclipse

-and, here in good ole Music City USA, the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel will furnish eclipse-viewing glasses. They will also equip all participants with an Uber gift card, bar credit, and a commemorative T-shirt memorializing the occasion. Who could ask for anything more?

Other vicinities along the passage of the eclipse are planning their own unique events as well.

Eclipse Notes:

1. The rays of the sun cannot harm your eyes if they are blocked by the moon.

2. A dangerous period of time to stare directly at the sun is immediately before, or instantaneously after, the eclipse happens. Even if it appears to be dark.

3. The retinas of the eyes can be damaged by the sun, so wearing sunglasses in this eclipse is pointless.

4. It is best to view the eclipse through cameras and telescopes with proper filters.

5. At a minimum, eclipse glasses should be worn.

6. To make your own eclipse glasses use paper filters with your regularly worn ones.

Now, do you believe me when I tell you the sun is going to disappear? Have I ever misled you before? But, no turning into a werewolf and howling at the moon allowed!

Until next time.

This has been another chapter in My Extremely B-O-R-I-N-G! Life.