We're Building A Better Tri-State Together
WNIN
All Things Considered
WNIN
All Things Considered
Next Up: 7:00 PM Fresh Air
0:00
0:00
All Things Considered
WNIN
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Bowling ball commemorates eclipse in Hopkinsville

Isaiah Seibert
/
WNIN

 With two minutes and 40 seconds of totality, Hopkinsville, Ky. is center stage for next week’s solar eclipse, and there is no better way to celebrate two large spheres than with a single small one.

From outer-space moonshine to scuba diving downtown, the city has found some pretty quirky ways to celebrate, but Solar Eclipse Marketing and Events Consultant Brooke Jung thinks the solar eclipse bowling ball may be the most unique.

“That’s something I don’t know that any other community can say they have,” she said.

The solar eclipse bowling balls are courtesy of Ebonite International, the largest bowling ball manufacturer in the world. The company has been in Hopkinsville for fifty years, and Vice President of Marketing Jim Cormier said the company wanted to help the city publicize the eclipse.

  “We manufactured about two dozen of the eclipse bowling balls, and we’re using them promotionally through social media and in helping the town to spread the word about the eclipse,” he said.

Credit Isaiah Seibert / WNIN
/
WNIN
On the floor of Ebonite International's Hopkinsville factory.

  But if you’re one of the many people calling Cormier asking to buy an eclipse bowling ball, you’re out of luck. He said they are not for sale.

“My phone is ringing off the hook,” he said. “They see some promotional pieces out there and they’re offering quite a bit of money for them, but for our purposes, we’re just using it as a promotional piece.”

Related Content
  • The science director at the Evansville Museum is excited about this month’s total eclipse of the sun. Mitch Luman will lead hundreds of people to…
  • With less than three weeks to go before the big event, Kentucky officials are scrambling to complete preparations for the impact of the total solar…