CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — The eclipse has burned Lucy Kavanagh and Mick Horler before, in more ways than one.
The couple from London tried their luck and traveled to Missouri in 2017 to view the eclipse. They were originally told to go to Cape Girardeau, but instead decided to go to Carbondale, a decision they'd later regret.
"The last time we went to Carbondale, but they had clouds at the last minute," Horler said. "A luck series of coincidences happened, and we decided to come to Missouri again."
In 2024, they decided to heed the previous advice they were given and put their money on Cape Girardeau. More than 20,000 other tourists made the same decision, and luckily, cloud cover cooperated with the celestial event.
Cape officials tried their best to prepare for the onslaught of tourists expected to flood the area for this year's eclipse, but the turnout exceeded their wildest expectations.
Brenda Newbern, executive director at the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, originally expected around 20,000 visitors in the southern Missouri city. She's now excited to see how that number has been blown out of the water.
"I got [to the Cape Girardeau Sportsplex] at 5 a.m., and there were already cars waiting," Newbern told 5 On Your Side. "One was from California, Ontario, Canada, Iowa, and Michigan, all waiting to be at the Sportsplex."
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