These people always show up for eclipses, and it's amazing how much they want to know about them. If these people were in school, and the topic for today's lecture were eclipses, you'd find a lot of them sleeping through it. But there's something about the immediacy of the event that draws people in and gets a hold on them that won't let go until they've satisfied their primeval need to understand the environment they've found themselves in. But people are very good about respecting your privacy if you tell them it's what you need to do. My rule is no talking for the ten minutes before totality begins, and I've yet to see it be broken by anyone.
People are generally good.
A great way to occupy people at an eclipse - show them how to make all the little eclipses on the ground with their hands.