The total solar eclipse occurring on the 21st of August 2017 promises to be an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to engage students, faculty, and the general public in topics related to astronomy and science. The eclipse path runs east to west across central Missouri (more-or-less along I-70), and Kirksville will witness about 98.5% obscuration of the Sun by our Moon. In this talk, we will discuss the basics of the Sun-Earth-Moon geometry which leads to several interesting phenomena such as tidal locking, phases of the Moon, and lunar & solar eclipses. We will outline safe ways of observing the Sun and witnessing a solar eclipse, and describe plans for a series of events over the next few months in the lead up to the eclipse. On the day of the eclipse, we will be setting up several solar scopes at various locations across Kirksville (downtown Kirksville, R-III school/MACC, Truman State campus & observatory, and so on) and distributing solar glasses for safe viewing of the eclipse. We conclude with a call to action to anyone interested in helping to organize and execute a significant event in Kirksville to celebrate this “eclipse of a generation.”