Ë®¹ûÅÉAV

But the scarce views of the moon covering the sun didn't completely dampen enthusiasm for the once-in-a-lifetime event. Auburn, Fair Haven and other locations in the northern part of the county still experienced a surreal few minutes of midday darkness and dropping temperatures beginning at about 3:21 p.m. 

One of the northernmost parts of the county, Fair Haven Beach State Park, attracted about 1,000 people for the longest local period of totality — three minutes and 25 seconds. Beforehand, the crowd browsed souvenirs and passed the time by picnicking, grilling hot dogs, flying kites, playing catch and more.

"It's a pretty remarkable experience to be here with all these people," said Lael Costa, who came to Fair Haven from State College, Pennsylvania.

"Even knowing what to expect ... it's a very profound, visceral experience," he said after totality ended. "You feel it in your chest. Something very special has happened." 

Traffic entering the small village was negligible throughout the day. Leaving late Monday afternoon, Ë®¹ûÅÉAV staff reported being briefly backed up on Route 38 in the town of Victory.

Another 1,500 people gathered at Falcon Park in Auburn, where the city and the Doubledays hosted Falcon Park Eclipse Fest. The event featured a large cake by Wegmans, family activities and more.

"At least you got to see it get dark," attendee Paul Gagliano Sr. told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV.

"But Mother Nature — this morning we had those gaps and I was praying to God that we didn't come up against this situation."

A smaller gathering took place on the roof of the Phoenix Building downtown, where the Cayuga Museum of History & Art hosted a viewing event for about 25 people.

"It's the only event in my lifetime," attendee Karen Pollard, of Marcellus, told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV. "My father was born in 1922, so he was 3 years old when this happened before. It's just amazing."

For Pollard, the cloudy eclipse wasn't so disappointing because being on top of the historic downtown building was its own draw.

"I'd have done this whether there was an eclipse or not," she said. "To be able to be up high and see what you don't normally see of Auburn."