In Texas, Republican Governor Abbott and a town collide for the 2024 Solar Eclipse and the result is silence and shade.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott seized control of Shelby Park, in Eagle’s Pass, Texas on Jan. 10 as the base for Operation Lone Star, a $10.5 billion political stunt in response to the ”invasion” of migrants at the southern border. He ordered Texas Army State National Guard soldiers, supported by state law enforcement officers, to place steel shipping containers and string razor wire along the water’s edge. He barred federal Border Patrol agents from the site of planned music festival.
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The Daily Beast: The prospect of Eagle Pass, Texas, becoming the first municipality in America to see the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, triggered visions in the border town of big crowds preceded by a big music festival. In 2023, The city of 28,000 discussed preparing to host nearly four times its population for the event. The 57 South producers posted what seemed like a formula for a resounding success.“17 Bands, 3 Nights, 2 Stages, & 1 Total Eclipse – April 5-7, 2024”. Texas Monthly interviewed event planners saying real planning for eclipse weekend began in 2002. This is like our Super Bowl, one is quoted saying.
But then Texas became a place where a perfect spot for a music festival was seized by troops under orders from a governor spending billions to boost his political fortunes.
The city posted its own appeal: “If you’re a music lover and a celestial enthusiast, then there’s no better time to start planning your trip to Eagle Pass, Texas!”