Wood County went dark for three minutes Monday afternoon.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Doyt Perry Stadium on Bowling Green State University’s campus to view the solar eclipse.

People from all over the Bowling Green community were in attendance. The eclipse reached its totality around 3:11 p.m.

Many BGSU students in attendance performed as members of the band.

“I get to play with the band and enjoy the events,” said Jessica Galliers, 20, from Swanton. “The event here (at the Doyt stadium) is a must-see event.”

Being surrounded by hundreds of other people during the eclipse was a memory that many will cherish.

“It was really cool to be with everyone while watching the eclipse,” said Kaylee Ruesink, of Cincinnati. “People were clapping their hands and celebrating when it took place.”

Others traveled over 100 miles to see this rare event.

“It was breathtaking, out of the world, something I’ve never experienced before,” said Marcy Summerfield, who drove from Lake Orion, Michigan. “All and all, the day was a great experience with family and friends. I could do without the horrible traffic home.”

Traffic heading north was backed up north of Toledo. A typical 20-minute drive from Toledo to Monroe, Michigan, took more than 90 minutes, according to reports.

“I have actively been following the eclipse. It’s hard for me to put into words what I saw at totality,” said Dawn Laconis, 58, Clarkston, Michigan. “In Clarkston we were at 98.2% coverage, and I was debating making the drive down to see it. I’m so glad I did because it left me speechless. I feel like everyone should make the effort in their life once to experience totality. I checked it off my bucket list.”

“Experiencing this (in the Doyt stadium) is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said BGSU students Willis McClure and Tre Myers. “Being in the band also make this experience memorable.”

During the totality, there was twilight, with orange and red hues on the horizon.

The stadium was full of people hours before the eclipse began. There were plenty of fun activities to do – from yard games to bouncy castles, the crowd enjoyed themselves throughout the afternoon.

“As the date has been approaching, I have been hearing more about the eclipse. It’s one of the most beautiful things I have seen,” said Noah Grimmer, from Sandusky. “I remember six years ago when I heard about a total lunar eclipse. It was completely different today than it was back then.”

The moon’ s shadow was 124 miles wide when in crossed Northwest Ohio and was traveling at 2,000 mph. The shadow stretched from Toledo to Dublin, with Wapakoneta, Ada and Kenton on the center line. The closer to the center line, the longer totality.

During the total solar eclipse, the moon moved between the Earth and sun completely obscuring the sun.

Bowling Green and Perrysburg experienced the eclipse starting at 1:56 p.m. Totality will be from 3:11-3:14 p.m. with the event ending at 4:26 p.m.

According to NASA’s official website, the solar eclipse first entered the United States in Texas, and traveled through Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The eclipse exited North America around 5:16 p.m.

Those who were in Wood County on Aug. 21, 2017, experienced a partial eclipse with approximately 83% of the sun covered.

The last total solar eclipse visible in Ohio occurred in 1806 and the next one will be in 2099.

For more information regarding the solar eclipse, visit https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/