Across the path of totality, people are cashing in on 2024’s total solar eclipse
Across the path of totality, people are cashing in on 2024’s total solar eclipse
On April 8th, 2024, for only the second time in recent memory, a total solar eclipse will be observable across a large swath of the United States.
The path of totality — in which the moon’s shadow completely blocks out the sun — will enter North America through Mexico, then travel through the United States from Texas to Maine. And that, for people along the way, presents economic opportunities.
Jason Kalinoski, lead innkeeper for Inn on the Creek in Salado, Texas said the bed and breakfast has been completely booked for the eclipse since last year. “I remember people booking a year in advance,” he said.
In Doniphan, Missouri, 17-year-old singer/songwriter Maddy Cauthen booked a gig at an eclipse-themed music festival. “I am thinking about doing like moon or Eclipse related songs,” she said. “It just means a lot that the community has thought to bring me into it.”
Lexi DeBaltzo, an artist in Lakewood, Ohio designed commemorative ornaments for the eclipse that she’s selling on Etsy. “I felt [like] a lot of things out on the market that I saw were T-shirts and short-lived experiences,” she said. “I kind of wanted to create something that would be a lasting remembrance, or memento of what people got to see.”
Put a Plant on It, a retailer in Buffalo, New York, will be selling limited-edition eclipse-themed merchandise. “We’re calling it Sunburst Botanical Bash,” said owner Johanna Dominguez. “It was a challenge trying to come up with… a good way to take advantage of it while staying true to our brand, which is houseplants and local artists,” she said. “We have, I think, five different ceramicists that are bringing in some eclipse-themed pottery.”
Farther north, in Rochester, New York, Bubby’s Barbecue pitmaster Terrell McClean is booked to cater a solar eclipse wedding.
The eclipse’s final U.S. stop is Houlton, Maine, just a few miles from the Canadian border. “In one form or another, we’ve been working on this for seven years,” said Fred Grant, who owns a radio station, movie theater, and pizza restaurant in town.
Grant put together a committee of community leaders to help Houlton plan for the eclipse. “We looked at it from a marketing opportunity,” he said. “We’re excited to show off our town.”
One of their tasks was helping residents prepare to take advantage of the influx of visitors by renting their homes on Airbnb. Though they’re not entirely sure how many people to expect, Grant said the town of 6,000 will welcome at least 10,000 visitors. “We’ve kind of termed it as a nor’easter of people,” he said.
Over the four-day weekend, Grant said Houlton has more than 300 events planned, from educational events with NASA, to craft fairs to a comedy show. “And then we’re throwing a massive party downtown,” he said. “There probably won’t be another event that brings people here at these numbers again, so it’s going to be part of the Houlton lore for decades to come.”
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