Where you can still get solar eclipse glasses in Kansas City (and what to do if you can't)

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It’s a great time to be living in Kansas City! We’re very near the path of totality for the total eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21. In case you haven’t looked up the times yet, the eclipse will begin at 11:41 a.m., peak at 1:08 p.m., and end at 2:35 p.m.

If you don’t have your solar eclipse glasses yet, you probably already know a lot of places in Kansas City have sold out. But that doesn’t mean you have to miss the big event. There are still some places you may be able to get eclipse glasses:

HyVee. Some of the HyVees are out of the glasses and aren’t getting any more in. But some are expecting shipments on Saturday. I called the Lenexa store, and they said they’re getting a shipment around noon. The store on 23rd. Street in Independence just received a limited supply today. And Belton got 900 pairs unexpectedly. It’s likely some of the other stores received new shipments as well. In any case, call before you go. These glasses are selling for $5.99 each.

Union Station. Union Station is giving away four FREE pairs of eclipse glasses to anyone who renews or signs up for a four-person (or more) Union Station Membership. You’ll also get FREE entry to their solar eclipse party on Monday.

Kansas City Ethnic Enrichment Festival. This may be a long shot, but one of our writers was at the Ethnic Enrichment festival last night; she got two FREE pairs of eclipse glasses at the PBS booth for signing up for their e-mail list. If you’re going to be at the festival anyway, you might stop by and see if they have any left. And other vendors may have had the same idea.

Eclipse Party

There are lots of places in Kansas City that are having eclipse parties, and many are giving away (or selling) eclipse glasses (while supplies last). Here are some that aren’t sold out or at capacity (yet):

If all else fails, you can always make a pinhole projector to watch the eclipse. Here’s a tutorial: