Speaker 01:
Hi, I'm Macy Brooks with the TexClips Music Festival Total Solar Eclipse event in Jackson, Texas, taking place April 6th through the 8th, 2024 at the Kimball County Fairgrounds. You're listening to the Dr. Sky Experience on Talk Radio 77 on WABC.
Speaker 00:
And welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to the Dr. Sky Experience, where, here on Talk Radio 77 WABC, as we like to say, the crown jewel of radio, the iconic 77 Talk Radio WABC, streaming out of New York City, the nation, the world, and I'm sure, even the cosmos. Well, folks, I'm sure you know by now the great excitement we had when, yes, yours truly, was asked to be an emcee and a major presenter at the October Annular Solar Eclipse. at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. And today, talking about another great event that's happening in probably about 70 or so days, ladies and gentlemen. If you haven't heard of it, it's the Great American Total Solar Eclipse of April the 8th. And who better to talk about it than about an exciting event that yours truly will be part of and proud to be part of it. We're talking about the Texclips Music Festival, which is taking place April 6th through the date of the eclipse, 2024. Where? beautiful city of Junction, Texas. Yes, in the shadow of the moon, the land of the living waters, the junction of the eclipses. I'm here to talk all about this great festival, which you yourself should be part of, of course, and we're inviting you to do that. We're here today to talk with you, ladies and gentlemen, about the amazing event, none other than Macy Brooks, the voice behind the eclipse event and the entire festival. Macy, welcome to the Dr. Sky Experience. How are you?
Speaker 01:
Hi, thanks for having me.
Speaker 00:
Well, thank you so much. Tell us a little bit about yourself because your bio is very interesting. Not only are you from Texas, but you're also a resident and you hail from Junction, Texas. Tell us more.
Speaker 01:
Well, I grew up here, Texas native, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here, so we're super stoked to show our little slice of heaven to the world.
Speaker 00:
Well, it sounds like a great event, and I know you and I have been talking off air here. about how to prepare and make this event an even bigger event, because I imagine, let's get it from you, the source, Macy Brooks. I mean, you're expecting what? If you look at the calendar and you look at the date, what kind of crowds do you think you'll be getting down there? Talk to us.
Speaker 01:
I mean, there's so many conflicting reports, but roughly everyone's estimating about half a million headed to the Texas Hill Country. So I anticipate our county, there's about 5,000 people in it. I... anticipate we get maybe three to five times the population of our county. So we'll see. We're also on I-10, so who knows?
Speaker 00:
Everyone could just hop on the interstate and head out this far away, right? Absolutely. You know, I want to know a little bit more about the event. I mean, the brainchild of this. Talk about how you came up with this, because you, like myself, you looked far into the future to see a while ago You have a uniqueness there in Texas where the crossing of the annular eclipse back in October meets the similar kind of eclipse for those lucky folks right down there. So indeed, the crossroads of the eclipse. How long have you been preparing for this type of event?
Speaker 01:
About two years. Yeah, it's pretty fortuitous where the junction of the eclipse is for the junction of the Llano River and this junction, Texas. Why wouldn't you come to an event for the eclipses here? There's just a lot of good things happening. So our community is a small town with limited resources. So I saw this as an opportunity, again, to showcase our town to the world. We are a tourism town. We have hunting, the Llano River, all sorts of other events in town. When these people come to visit for the eclipse, we want them to come back in the future.
Speaker 00:
Oh, absolutely. You know, I've got to be honest with you and the audience always, I haven't been through that part of Texas. But yes, in a way I have. I've gone down, I've gone down along the I-25 and the other interstates, I should say, I-35 to be more precise. and I've gone all the way down as far as San Antonio, but I never really experienced the magic of Texas Hill Country. Talk to us about Texas Hill Country for folks that are saying, you know, I heard about that, but I want to know more, and especially about the eclipse. A little bit about Texas Hill Country.
Speaker 01:
Yeah, so CNN actually just named the Texas Hill Country as one of their top travel destinations for 2024. And why that is, is the Fredericksburg region... is the second biggest wine country now behind Napa. So Fredericksburg, Johnson City, high, that region, there's a lot of wine growing and bottling. So that's a pretty big deal. Like I said before, we have the rivers, the hills, the hunting. Kerrville's a great town. Just this area's growing.
Speaker 00:
Wow. Well, for the folks that have never talked about astronomy here on this particular, you know, archive on the Dr. Sky Experience, I want to make sure, and I know Macy knows this probably just as good as anybody else, this particular eclipse, when you see the shadow of the moon, I'm talking with the ladies and gentlemen listening to this program, you're seeing this elliptical shadow that moves across the earth at about, say, 1,600, 1,700 miles per hour. And you know, Macy, obviously the listeners may not, the width of that is about maybe 115 miles. So the closer you are to the center of that shadow, the more time you're going to see it. So wouldn't it be disappointing, Macy, if somebody was sitting on the edge where it was 99.99% and they stepped over to the other side and saw one second of the eclipse? That's not what you want to do. So you want to come to Junction, Texas. And if I'm correct, Macy, you have about three minutes and eight seconds of totality. I think I'm pretty much spot on, right?
Speaker 01:
Yep, that's pretty close.
Speaker 00:
That's pretty darn good because we did the eclipse, as I talked with you off air, back in 2017 up in Idaho. And we only had a mere two and a half minutes. But you know what, folks? If you've never seen the total solar eclipse, here's a good reason to do it. The next major total solar eclipse that we are going to be able to see here in the continental United States occurs back in the future, in August of 2045. And Macy, my birthday is next Monday. I'll be 68. So I'm not ready for that one. At least, who knows? I'd be positive. But you really need to come down there. So talk to us about how do people get in touch with you, the group, the, you know, the whole music festival, what's the website that they need to go to? And talk to us about what you're offering there, because I'm so proud to be a part of your event here. And as we get closer to it, looking to do a great job for you and the guests there, educating them on the necessity of the safety for the eclipse, and also some historical things and a lot of fun. So take it away.
Speaker 01:
Our website is textclipsmusicfestival.com. We are happening April 6th through the 8th, and the goal of this event as a local is to showcase Texas music, art, and products. If you guys are aware, people travel to the eclipses from all over the world. So if they're traveling to Texas, I want them to have the Texas experience. So we have Sonny Sweeney, Rick Trevino, Hooks and the Huckleberries, Noel Bullard, a bunch of local, regional, and statewide Texas musicians coming to play. We also have some local artists. Of course, Dr. Skye will be there in terms of the culture side of the event. We will have bull riding and team roping, which is a really big Texas rodeo thing. We're also going to work with Cassie, the Chile Appreciation Society International, to have a cook-off. working with a dealership to have a guided motorcycle ride so people can ride over to the eclipse. We're going to have some Texas wine tasting. We've paired with a winery out of Johnson City, Untamed Wines, and we're making a special eclipse label wine for that. And just, of course, including all sorts of Texas products and vendors to come to the event as well. So as much Texas as we can incorporate, we're going to have it here. And we have plenty of room. The property where this is located is 40 acres. And so there's no need to worry about not having enough space to witness the eclipse.
Speaker 00:
Well, Macy, like I mentioned before to the listeners, I can't wait to be part of this because we had maybe a thousand people at the event that we did at a bed and breakfast up in Idaho. But this seems so iconic because People basically are going to be coming from everywhere. You can come where? From San Antonio. You can come down from Dallas. You can come down from Austin. And I imagine, like we were talking before, you're talking about maybe what? Millions of people along this eclipse path. And just to highlight, I know Macy knows this, but the listeners may not, this eclipse starts off in the ocean where whales and other kinds of sea creatures might pop their eyeballs up and see this rare event. But for the rest of us, it hits the coast of Mexico, moves up to the mountains of Mexico, into the deep part of southern Texas, as it moves then across the beautiful hill country of Texas, as we're describing, up through Dallas, and then moving up into Arkansas, moving up through other states, Missouri, and to another location where the eclipse was seen also, the annular, and this particular event replacing itself, or two total eclipses, I should say, back in Carbondale, Illinois, where two total solar eclipses crossed each other, and then up into the northeast. But Macy, this is something very special that I wanted to mention to the listeners from my astronomical background in broadcasting. You know, the weather forecast, as we looked here, we looked at the map and consulted with some of the meteorologists, and they're saying that you, in the Texas Hill Country, and the beautiful music festival, have about a better than 60-65% chance of clear skies. But sadly, the farther you go north, up into the New England states, there may be a potential of maybe 70% clouds, or who knows. What a blessing, huh, to be talking about this for the great Texas Hill Country and those good weather forecasts. What say you?
Speaker 01:
Right. That's why we're saying, you know, don't worry about the Northeast. Come down to Texas. There you go.
Speaker 00:
And, you know, we've just got to love the culture of Texas. I mean, this is going to be so exciting. Musical acts. And here's something else. In addition to all the great things that you're talking about, and again, I see we'll give that website one more time just as we end this broadcast in just a few moments. But so what's so important here, this is the coolest thing I've ever seen. I never, ever thought about this. You have an opportunity to have elope at the eclipse. Now, we know what that means. But tell us, just in case couples want to come down there and say, you know, I want to memorialize that moment with the love of my life and an eclipse that won't happen for maybe another 375 years down there. How do they get involved in that? Talk a little bit about that. That's awesome.
Speaker 01:
Yeah, so we're telling people, do you really love your significant other to the moon and back? Prove it. Come on down to Tex Clips and Elope. Yes, there's a tab on our website that has all the details, what you need to do with the county to register and just get a hold of us and we'll make it happen. So if you're into it, just reach out to us.
Speaker 00:
That's great. I know my significant other may want to do the very same thing and do it again. We're planning a wedding ourselves maybe in June, but I don't know, maybe her schedule will match, and if not, boy, shame on us for not doing that. But I'm sure so many couples will do it. Macy, before we conclude today, I just want to remind everybody, you're listening to Talk Radio 77 WABC. probably the most powerful radio station in the nation, not by me, but by many others, well over 102 years, broadcasting here around the nation as we call it, the crown jewel of radio, the iconic 77 WABC, beaming out of New York City, the nation, the world, and the cosmos. You're listening to the Dr. Sky Experience. Our producer is Dr. D., Richard Dugan, and we thank him for putting all this electronic stuff together so it sounds as good as it should. But, Macy, talk a little bit more about this. If people are coming down there and they have a question in the back of their head saying, well, wait a minute, I need to stay somewhere, what's your recommendations if people want to get there and actually enjoy the experience? How do they find lodging or any other way to stay there during this event?
Speaker 01:
So we have set aside 60 acres. It's tree covered. It'll be mowed for self-contained RV sites. If anyone else is needing... actual cabins or any sort of that type of lodging, they can reach out and shoot me an email through the form on our website, and I can put them in touch with those who are still renting out places.
Speaker 00:
Amazing. Well, Macy, this is exciting. Looking forward to being there with you, and I'm sure so many people who've never experienced an eclipse. And let's also mention, particularly those folks in West Texas, they have a great advantage heading toward Junction, Texas. So, Let's say you were driving from El Paso, Texas, another great mecca. How many hours drive would you say it's from that area in the far western part of Texas?
Speaker 01:
Well, there's no speed limit out that way. So you could make it in four hours if you wanted to. But for the regular driver, it might be about five.
Speaker 00:
Well, I didn't know there was no speed limit there. So I'm going to make sure we hightail it there, doing it safely to be part of the music festival. And it's at TexClips, musicfestival.com, April 6th through the 8th. You can't miss this total solar eclipse, ladies and gentlemen. And I say it in kind of a, you know, tongue-in-cheek way, shame on you folks if you're not going to be there, because you know what? Even if you have to spend a little extra time, a little extra money, and kind of say to yourself, you know what? This is really important. Because, Macy, this will be my eighth eclipse of its type. And I can tell you this, most of the eclipses that I've been to around the world Unfortunately, weather was not really cooperative in some of them without going through a long story. Beautiful weather we had in Idaho. And again, let's highlight another big plus meteorologically. The weather conditions and the forecast by the experts that do this kind of stuff are better than 60% for clear skies, or at least partly cloudy skies. A most amazing story. And I wanted to mention something. One of the things we'll be talking about, and just to remind everybody out there, in addition to the great lineup that Macy Brooks is putting together for the Texas Lift Music Festival. We're going to be providing these seminars during the pre-eclipse days. What are they? We're going to be talking about the safe ways to view the sun, obviously the solar glasses. We're going to be talking with children and parents about how they can enjoy this, and lots of fun little tips. Then we'll have, with your permission, Macy, some seminars, but let's say the more advanced, some advanced people like adults that have telescopes, cameras. But one of the things I want to mention that's really interesting, The great inventor, Thomas Edison, he took time from his New York studio that he had in his factory to head out to Rawlings, Wyoming, back in July. July the 29th was an event in 1878. And why do I mention it? It was an eclipse, but he helped work on some very serious science with other famous astronomers. And they went by train because that was the only way to go, of course, in those days. But he tested out a little device called a tessimeter to measure the infrared radiation. from the sun, but why am I mentioning this? That eclipse had so many people in excitement, literally, on the end of their feet, just looking up in the sky, both religious, the spiritual experience, the scientific experience. It came through downtown Dallas on July the 29th, 1878, and people all over the place, they looked at the sky in wonder and amazement. And guess what? As you know, Macy, and I know this event, He's coming within some 70 days as we're doing this recording. Looking forward to seeing everybody at the Tech Clips Music Festival in Junction, Texas. Macy, take it away. Tell us anything that I might have forgotten. And again, I want to appreciate your time here, which I do. Looking forward to being there with you and all the great folks in Texas. We celebrate freedom, the love of the sky, especially clips. And what better way to do it than interlace it with music and festivities about happiness. Tell us more, Macy.
Speaker 01:
Well, we appreciate you guys. And, again, if anyone has any questions, please reach out to me. And we look forward to seeing you down here in Junction April 6th through the 8th.
Speaker 00:
That would be great. Ladies and gentlemen, Macy Brooks, X-Clips Music Festival, as you've been hearing here. I'm Dr. Skye on Talk Radio 77 WABC with the Dr. Skye Experience. And what do we always say? Always remember to keep your eyes to the skies. And each day I work hard to be your navigator, folks, on the highway to the heavens. And this particular highway, as we all know, has no tolls. So we say sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Macy, stay on the line with us as we go to the hard break at the bottom of the hour. That concludes this exciting edition of the Dr. Sky Experience, heard here on probably the most powerful radio station in the nation, off Radio 77, WEPC. Thank you, Macy Brooks, and look forward to being with you here in Texas.
