Eclipse predicted to boost area economies

TICONDEROGA | With less than 50 days remaining before New York State's first total eclipse in nearly a century on Monday, April 8, the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce (TACC) and Schroon Lake Chamber of Commerce are gearing up for what is anticipated to be a boon for the entire region thanks to the solar and lunar anomaly occurring at the tail end of the area's shoulder season. "Big events like this have a great economic impact on the North Country," explained Chloe Rocque, TACC Executive Assistant. "Many people will be staying in the area for the weekend, giving our local lodging properties business. People need places to eat, which gives our local restaurants business. And people are looking for things to do and places to go during the day which gives our local businesses and retailers business." As reported by Gov. Kathy Hochul's website, the April 8 total eclipse will encompass the western and northern parts of New York State. In less than 15 minutes within a 3:15 to 3:30 window, the moon will pass between the earth and sun, turning day into night for 1 ½ minutes to 3 ½ minutes. The roughly 100-mile wide path of totality will enter in the southwestern part of the state at just after 3:15 p.m., and will depart northern New York just before 3:30. Cities and towns within this path include Jamestown, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown, Old Forge, Lake Placid and Plattsburgh. The entire event will last for up to 2 ½ hours, marking the time the sun is first obstructed to the last moments when the moon's shadow is cast. According to Rocque, the Ticonderoga Area usually doesn't see an influx of visitors until Memorial Day Weekend. "Our lodging businesses are certainly going to see a benefit at what is normally a relatively slow time of year, and we expect other tourist-driven businesses like restaurants and retail to see an impact as well," seconded Schroon Chamber Executive Director Sue Palisano. "Any event that brings visitors to our towns who may have never visited before, has the potential indirect impact of introducing many more people to all the North Country has to offer and the possibility of future return visits." Hotels and lodging accommodation in both towns are already booking up, many who don't generally open their doors until May when fishing tournaments commence. "They will all be open at the beginning of April for the Eclipse Weekend this year," Rocque revealed. "The occupancy is currently high for this time of year. An owner of an Air BnB in the area said their Air BnB has been booked since last year for the Eclipse Weekend." Thanks to Schroon being the southern-most destination town that will be in the path of totality, Palisano said this means that not only will there be visitors here who have planned overnight stays, there is also the expectation to see a fair number of day-trippers who will drive up from downstate. "In a survey the Chamber conducted of member lodging establishments several weeks ago, the majority were either fully booked or had occupancy rates between 70-90 percent," she said. In Ticonderoga, planned viewing locations will be at Ticonderoga Recreational Fields, Ticonderoga Bicentennial Park, Silver Bay YMCA, Crown Point Historic Site, and Ticonderoga Elementary School/Football field is a tentative overflow viewing area for right now. "We also live in a beautiful place surrounded by two lakes, so watching it near Lake George or Lake Champlain would be a cool experience as well," Rocque reminded. "The United States will not have another total solar eclipse for 20 years, so I think as long as you have a clear view of the sky, it will be unforgettable." Three of the Schroon Chamber's members (The Lodge at Schroon Lake, Frontier Gateway and Paradox Brewery in North Hudson) will be hosting viewing locations and/or events. "Early on in the planning process, Town leadership considered the uncertainty of weather conditions in early April and the effect this would have on accessibility to Town facilities like the beach and park, lake, and golf course, along with limitations of our infrastructure, and chose not to host a town-wide event for visitors," Palisano said. "Because we are not specifically promoting Schroon as hosting specific viewing locations, what the Chamber has been doing is heavily promoting our region as a place to stay, with easy access to many of the nearby designated viewing areas, including those at Paradox Brewery and Frontier Town Gateway, Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Keene. We are providing information on viewing locations as well as viewing glasses to our member lodging businesses." Safety and emergency services are also of concern for the eclipse, one of the biggest considerations being to ensure people travel from Point A to Point B out of harm's way. "If it all goes as planned, there will be designated representatives at each viewing location, hopefully an emergency responder and someone who is available to lead visitors in the right direction," Rocque said. "Emergency services will also have to be available to help with traffic control." And though Schroon is not promoting any eclipse gathering at their popular Town Park, Palisano understands people will still congregate there. "We want to remind everyone to be respectful of our town resources, and also realize that legal parking is quite limited," she said. TACC is currently working on a 2024 Solar Eclipse Promotions and Specials flyer that will outline businesses who are participating in the Eclipse with a special offer or promotion to encourage people to go check them out. "We are closely working with ROOST to try to get as much information as we can, Rocque said. "We are hoping the flyer will be published at the beginning of March. We have gotten asked many questions about Solar Eclipse viewing glasses. The deadline to order the ADK-specific ones off of ROOST's website was Feb. 14. I have not heard back from businesses yet whether they bought any and will have them for sale. I am not sure if TACC will have them available or not. I won't know the answer to the glasses questions until later in the month.". The Hashtag ROOST is using on social media is #EclipseADK. For more info from ROOST, please visit https://www.roostadk.com/eclipse2024. Keep your eyes out for an upcoming special edition in The Sun of local business event opportunities and specials.

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Eclipse predicted to boost area economies

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