FARMINGTON — As the sun inched higher in the sky, a crowd of more than 200 people gathered to watch and record Summer Solstice 2011.
They were waiting for high noon, the moment the sun would highlight a marker on Farmington Public Library's floor and proclaim Tuesday to be the longest day of year.
Turns out it was the longest day of the year, and the first day of summer, because everything went according to plan.
At exactly noon, the block of sunlight was where it should be, highlighting the words "Summer Solstice 12:00," words that were engraved on the library's sandstone floor for just that purpose.
"I didn't think it would happen," said 10-year-old Patsy Romero. "It was really cool watching the sun move, and than it did it, it landed on the words."
If Romero knew how the library was designed, she might not have felt so surprised.
It worked because the library was built along the meridian, which means the summer and winter solstice markings on its floor are accurate and get lit up twice a year, so long as the sun is out.
"I'm a bit sad that it's the longest day of summer already," said 8-year-old Jodi Forester. "It's pretty cool but doesn't that mean summer's almost over?"
The Summer Solstice party, possibly the best 10-minute party of the year, according to Library Director Karen McPheeters, wasn't just about acknowledging 5,000 years of human tradition.
From Stonehenge to the pyramids, the solstice has structured human culture for thousands
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