Three-year-old Apollo Higgins peered at the crescent bite the moon was taking out of the sun’s reflection on the front lawn of the Salem Public Library, and pronounced it good. Then he turned his attention back to the bag of Sun Chips provided by the library.

He was one of about 300 who gathered on the lawn to witness the first total solar eclipse across the nation in 99 years. His mom, Nikki Nakdimen of Hollins, will make sure he remembers it by the time the next eclipse comes along in 2024.

There were audible sighs as a fluffy cloud puffed across the sun just before the full 90 percent totality was reached, but disappointment turned to cheers as the cloud dissipated just in time.

Katydids singing in the trees overhead got louder, one person observed, and the 90-degree temperature dropped about 8 degrees when the formerly bright sunshine dimmed to more like about 8 p.m. almost dusk.

Kids, parents, grandparents and singles crowded around three telescopes set up on the lawn to project the sun and moon’s images safely, so the change in the sun could be watched even without protective glasses.

The library’s 480-plus pairs of glasses provided with a Google grant were snapped up in mere minutes Aug. 21, leaving latecomers disappointed but not out of options. Those people who had glasses gladly shared. The library had already given out 1,500 pairs earlier in the month.

“It was colorful when you looked at the sun when it was getting eclipsed, really orange,” said 9-year-old Emily Flores of Salem. She also clutched a pinhole paper plate viewer she had made as one of the library’s eclipse crafts.

Maggie Tripp, 6, wore her planet T-shirt and brought a red plastic colander from home to view lots and lots of little sun crescents on the grass. “I wanted to see the eclipse. It was fun,” said Maggie, who was there with her dad, Ben. Her mom, Library Director Ann Tripp, with Technology and Teen Coordinator David Butler, other staff and volunteers, coordinated the three-hour party.

The eclipse watching was a partnership of the Salem Public Library and the Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society

Julie Mowles, a fifth-grade science and history teacher at East Salem Elementary, wore her “It’s just a phase” moon shirt she wears when she teaches about the moon. “I wish we had been in school so we could have done moon and sun activities,” said Mowles, who was so excited about the coming eclipse all year that she bought her protective glasses on New Year’s Eve.

People who couldn’t find glasses before Monday got creative including retired Salem cardiologist Jake Neathawk. “I purchased No. 8 and 10 welding supply glass at Hammerhead Hardware,” he said, and overlaid them to produce a dark green viewer.

Next to him, retired physicist Frank Munley let people look through his 1975 Celestron telescope with solar filter, and also held out a colander which made 170 crescent sun shadow shapes for children and adults to see on the ground. “It’s nice to see people interested in a great natural event,” Munley said.

“It was a most wonderful experience being here,” added Amar Kumar. “It is nice that all of us got together here rather than viewing it individually.”

Jonna Detweiler of Salem agreed. “I think it’s extra-ordinary. Often we take the sun and the moon for granted. Now we can appreciate it.” And she added, “A lot of kudos to the Salem Public Library for organizing this.”

In addition to Sun Chips, the library provided other sun-theme snacks, such Sunkist soda and CapriSun juice drink.

Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society member John Spruhan brought his tabletop telescope that projected images of the shrinking sun onto a white card, and answered questions about the library’s new Orion Starblast Telescope with solar filter and smartphone scoping adapter. It was purchased by the Friends of the Salem Library.

On Saturday, he and Dick Moran of the Roanoke Valley Astronomy Society were at the library answering questions about how to view the eclipse safely, and showing off their telescopes. Moran brought his computer-controlled telescope.

“This Orion tabletop reflecting telescope is really convenient,” said Astronomy Society member Spruhan, who is looking forward to other programs where the library’s new telescope can be used. “In Salem, you normally cannot observe much at night except the moon and planets, because of lights. This one doesn’t weigh much. Dick Moran takes his telescope to Greenhill Park to really see the stars,” Spruhan added.

Spruhan, who filled a display case next to the Children’s Section of the library with information about the eclipse and astronomy magazines, fell in love with astronomy when he was about 10, he remembered, and hopes the eclipse and the library’s telescope will spark more children’s interest. “I got a telescope as a Christmas present, and looked at Jupiter, Saturn and the moon.”