Solar eclipse leaves Long Beach in awe

“The moon used to be made of cream cheese. Now it turned into a banana,” Long Beach resident Paul Fetscher told a small crowd of people as he held up a sheet of paper with a pinhole projecting the image of the solar eclipse onto the ground.

More than 50 people gathered in Kennedy Plaza on Monday for a solar eclipse viewing hosted by the Long Beach Public Library’s Youth Services Department. The city was buzzing with excitement as residents gathered on the beach and in other parts of town to gaze up at the sky for the first total solar eclipse this century — the last time such an event was viewable in the contiguous United States was 1979.

Whether it was through protective glasses or homemade pinhole projectors, residents watched as the moon passed between the Earth and the sun.

“We had a great turnout for the event,” said Nicole Menzzasalma, a librarian at the Long Beach Public Library. “The kids were excited. We were so happy that the library was able to share the glasses with the community and bring everyone together. It was a beautiful experience.”

Long Beach resident Janene Garcia attended the viewing, accompanied by her toddler son Thomas — without her own pair of protective glasses.

“We didn’t have enough glasses, so everyone was sharing them,” she said. “That [says a lot] about our community in Long Beach.”

Another resident, Nancy Schwartz, caught a glimpse of the eclipse through a pinhole projector.

“I was in the shopping center and this kind man had a big box and he was letting everyone look into it, which was amazing,” she said. “I took a ride into town to see if anything was happening, and then I came here, and honestly, I just saw the crowd and I wanted to be a part of it. It’s very exciting.”