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Search for solar eclipse specs heads to Arapahoe County libraries

175 free glasses given out to enthusiasts
Posted at 1:08 PM, Aug 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-19 19:47:50-04

CENTENNIAL, Colo. – Nearly 200 people spent their Saturday morning wrapped around the Arapahoe County’s Castlewood Library building in hopes of getting a free pair of solar eclipse glasses.

“Just decided to head out here at 4:30a.m., got here first,” Joshua Elliott said. He and his sister, Tori, claimed their spots 4.5 hours before the library opened its doors.

After ten failed attempts at getting these special specs, the Elliott siblings were successful.

Rhiannon Cochran and her family lined up right behind them.

“With my luck, my kids are going to stare at the sun and I’m taking them to an emergency room because they can’t see,” Cochran joked.

Parents Bill and Kathy Anderson were also in line. The two have made a habit of watching celestial events. The couple caught the 1979 eclipse and introduced their kids to Halley’s Comet.

“Now they’re all grown and gone. They still talk about seeing Halley’s Comet,” Kathy said. Bill added, “This is going to be an exciting thing for them to have some memories of, too.”

Memories nearly 40 years in the making for those around for the previous eclipse.

“I remember with my school class, my 3rd grade school class going out and seeing the previous eclipse,” Christy Boyle told Denver7.

She lined up among the nearly 200 others on Saturday.

Library workers only had 175 pairs of the special specs to give out -- Boyle was number 176.

“They had one extra pair and I got it,” Boyle said as she held the pair of glasses tightly.

In turn, Boyle gave us some viewing advice for Monday: “Be in the moment. Don’t try to take a photo. Just be there, experience it, watch it.”

Just make sure you don’t look at it directly without the proper eclipse glasses. 

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