WAXAHACHIE, Texas (AP) 鈥 The last time a total solar eclipse passed through this Texas town, horses and buggies filled the streets and cotton fetched 9 cents a pound. Nearly 150 years later, one thing hasn鈥檛 changed: the threat of clouds blocking the view.

Overcast skies are forecast for Monday鈥檚 cosmic wonder across Texas, already packing in eclipse chasers to the delight of .

As the moon covers the sun, daytime darkness will follow a 鈥 from Mexico鈥檚 Pacific coast to Texas and 14 other states all the way to Maine and the eastern fringes of Canada. The best U.S. forecast: northern New England.

Like other communities along the path of totality, Waxahachie, a half-hour鈥檚 drive south of Dallas, is pulling out all the stops with a weekend full of concerts and other festivities.

It鈥檚 the region鈥檚 first total solar eclipse since 1878. The next one won鈥檛 be for almost another 300 years.

鈥淚 feel so lucky that I don鈥檛 have to go anywhere,鈥 the Ellis County Museum鈥檚 Suzette Pylant said Saturday as she welcomed visitors in town for the eclipse. 鈥淚 get to just look out my window, walk out my door and look up.鈥

She鈥檚 praying the weather will cooperate, as are the owners of all the shops clustered around the historic courthouse made of red sandstone and pink granite in the center of town. They鈥檙e bracing for a few hundred thousand visitors for Monday鈥檚 4 minutes, 20 seconds of totality, close to the maximum of 4 minutes, 28 seconds elsewhere on the path.

The Oily Bar Soapery is hosting a Bubble Blackout all weekend, with eclipse-themed soaps and giveaways. Among the handmade soaps: 鈥淟una,鈥 鈥淪olar Power,鈥 鈥淢other Earth鈥 and 鈥淗achie Eclipse of the Heart.鈥

The next one is centuries away "so we figured we鈥檇 go all out,鈥 explained owner Kalee Hume.

Nazir Moosa, who owns the Celebrity Cafe and Bakery, winced when he heard the weather report, but noted: 鈥淚t鈥檚 weather. You can鈥檛 control it.鈥

North of Austin, Williamson County residents hope the eclipse puts the area鈥檚 new park on the map. The River Ranch County Park, which opened in July on the outskirts of the city of Liberty Hill, is sold out and ready to host hundreds on Monday

鈥淚t still has that new park smell,鈥 said Sam Gibson, the park's assistant office administrator.

Stacie Kenyon is inviting people to watch the eclipse from her Main Street Marketplace in the heart of Liberty Hill鈥檚 historic downtown 鈥 and escape inside the boutique if it rains.

鈥淲e were really hopeful, but now with this weather it is kind of a bummer,鈥 Kenyon said. 鈥淲e will just have to wait and see."

In Waxahachie, there鈥檚 a sense of deja vu around the town of 45,000 residents.

A banner in the museum鈥檚 front window, displaying newspaper headlines from the July 29, 1878, eclipse, detailed the cloudy skies all morning. But just before the moon lined up between the sun and Earth that afternoon, the sky cleared.

Visiting from Campbell, California, Ed Yuhara studied weather patterns before settling on northern Texas to view the eclipse with his wife, Paula, and a few friends. 鈥淚t turns out it will be the exact opposite,鈥 he said while touring the museum.

He was in Oregon for October鈥檚 鈥渞ing of fire鈥 solar eclipse, but got rained out.

Rain or shine, the Yuharas and friend Liz Gibbons plan on celebrating. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a visual and physical experience and at my age, which is 75, I will never see one again,鈥 Gibbons said.

Totality won鈥檛 sweep across the U.S. like this again until 2045, sidestepping almost all of Texas.

鈥淚t just blows me away,鈥 Moosa said as he served up a large breakfast crowd. 鈥淭he hotels rooms are booked and everything else ... it鈥檚 very good news for Waxahachie.鈥

___

AP reporter Acacia Coronado contributed from Liberty Hill, Texas.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

The 春色直播 Press. All rights reserved.