Morrilton gears up for 2024 eclipse extravaganza

MORRILTON, AR — The City of Morrilton is preparing for an influx of visitors for a total eclipse on April 8th, 2024.

Donnie Crain, President of the Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce, said the total eclipse is a unique and natural event.

"It will be taking place in the afternoon and so it'll be a typical day and suddenly it starts getting darker, Crain. "We are at what's called the blue line so it's where you'll have the longest amount of darkness."

The eclipse is anticipated to last a total of 4 minutes and 14 seconds.

Crain said there's a Conway County Eclipse Committee broken down into subcommittees looking to ensure that Morrilton is a successful destination for visitors for the event.

Subcommittees meet monthly and look into how hotels, restaurants, retail, and businesses can prepare and how safety can be best handled to maintain a positive experience for visitors.

Brandi Cooper is heading the retail and business subcommittee and said they've had community members and businesses that don't have a retail storefront join their meetings.

"We feel like there's going to be an opportunity to showcase what we have here in Morrilton," Cooper said.

Cooper said she is collaborating with Ronaldo Jewelry company to offer visitors a bracelet to commemorate their experience.

"They actually made a bracelet a long time ago called the eclipse bracelet and I just kind of thought it would be a good idea to bring the bracelet back," Cooper said. "Hopefully it won't just be in my store it will be in several of other retail stores."