FRANKLIN — Tens of thousands of visitors came to Johnson County to view the total eclipse on Monday.
Among them was the Rivera family from Covington, Ky., who made the trek to Franklin.
"We've just been kind of hanging out just around town, loving everything," April Rivera said.
Rivera, her husband Jorge Rivera, and their children, Ean, 16, Salvador, 11, and Alex, 18, spent Sunday night in a area hotel and were in downtown Franklin early Monday morning. They said they were visiting the businesses, checking out vendor tents and food trucks and enjoying the sunny skies and warm temperatures.
"The town is beautiful. The environment is great," Jorge Rivera said. "People are just so friendly. I'm just waiting on the big moment."
Awed spectators broke out in cheers and applause when the big moment of totality arrived at 3:05 p.m. The sky grew dark and the ring of light was visible in the sky for a little more than four minutes in Franklin.
Looking up at the sky with a pair of dark eclipse glasses on, Tywan Harris, 19, Greenwood, cheered loudly from a prime viewing spot in the front lawn area of the historic Johnson County Courthouse.
"It's amazing," Harris said. "I've never seen anything like it. It's a dream to come true, man."
Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess spent most of Monday in a command center along with other public safety officials where they were monitoring crowds and traffic via a network of video cameras and radios.
"If there there's an issue that does come up, we've got the right folks that are here to ensure that we're able to handle that incident," Burgess said.
"We've learned (to prepare) from tornadoes that have hit Johnson County in the last couple of years. That teamwork is there... It's great working with them."
Contact WRTV reporter Vic Ryckaert at victor.ryckaert@wrtv.com or on X/Twitter: @vicryc.
