Those who traveled to New York's Adirondack Park for the eclipse were not disappointed
Darkness descended, the air caught a quick chill, and a near-night sky appeared in Old Forge, one of the lucky places in New York to fall under the shadow of a new moon during the Great American Eclipse.
The chirping of birds quieted. Humans — who knew what was going on — were left to find words to describe the phenomenon.
“How special,” whispered Tom Stalton who traveled from Manhattan to the Adirondacks where, despite some sky cover, the moon’s slip across the sun was made visible.
The weather cooperated. Despite cloud coverage, eclipse glasses offered visitors a clear view. Meteorologists who gambled that the skies would darken weren’t disappointed.
Those who set up their cameras beforehand watched the minutes of totality pass, confident they’d captured the corona under stellar conditions.
“How powerful,” said Ria Chase, a designer from Forestport at the George T. Hiltebrant Center selling jewelry. The eclipse featured a new moon, she added with a grin, continuing on to suggest viewers set intentions for the rest of April since "they might just come true."
Arrive early, stay late
Across the U.S., many were projected to travel into the path of totality. For safety reasons, major thruways urged drivers to "arrive early and stay late." In Old Forge, people listened to that advice.
Walt’s Diner started rolling out plates of blueberry pancakes and maple sausage at 6 am on Monday.
Diner staff said they had a constant stream of customers since Saturday, with crowds being a mix of out-of-towners and locals.
Down the street, at the George T. Hildebrandt Center, Adirondack Total Eclipse Celebration event organizer Ximena Gardner said eclipse enthusiasts came early to “set up camp.”
“It’s been a great turnout,” Gardner gleamed. “Last night we went out for dinner and it was hard to find a spot to park. And, mind you, it's a great thing people arrived early; we’d hoped that would happen, to prevent gridlock.”
Linda Grace, secretary at the Old Forge Visitor’s Center, said the town of Webb expected thousands. “During our off-season, that’s still quite a lot,” she highlighted.
“It’s usually a ghost town this time of the year,” said Grace. “Local businesses are thrilled with all these customers. And locals, who stuck around, seem glad to have such a rare event in their backyard. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Police strategy
According to Town of Webb Police Sergeant T. Brennan Riolo state and local police have worked together the past three months to ensure that eclipse day ran "hiccup-free."
Officers were stationed across town – on the south end, north end, downtown, and scattered throughout NYS Route 28 – so if there was a service call response time would be immediate, Riolo said. He explained that until traffic gets cleared, and business goes back to normal, the fleet is commissioned to stay intact.
“It makes things easier when you’re prepared,” said Riolo. “Herkimer is one of the most expansive counties in New York so we face a geographic issue. When you’re caught off guard, or you don’t have enough staffing, things can get difficult. That’s why we made sure we were extra prepared.”
The winning formula
Webb Town Supervisor Mike Farmer said he was pleased with how the eclipse ran its course.
“A lot of folks with camps up here, and people with short-term rentals, came a few days early,” Farmer acknowledged. “There wasn’t a shocking influx all at once, but rather a steady trickle in and out. When I asked motel owners when most people were leaving they said Tuesday and Wednesday. Arrive early, leave later. That’s the winning formula.”
Farmer continued on to note the impact events like these make on communities.
“Connectivity has a different meaning in Old Forge,” said Farmer. “It’s all about disconnecting digitally and connecting with each other and nature instead.”
He quoted Jim Mckenna, longtime CEO of Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST), noting their trifecta in the Adirondack Park: Lake Placid, Lake George, and Old Forge. "Each community has its own personality and is not in competition with one another but rather complementary."
“The big topic of conversation is: sustainable tourism,” Farmer underscored. “We see that in two ways. First of all, taking care of our natural resources. The landscape is the crown jewel of this town. Second of all, we can’t handle tens of thousands of visitors. So when we attract a few thousand we can show them all we have to offer and hope they come again. When you approach tourism in that way instead of 10,000 visitors for one event you get 18-20,000 throughout the season. That’s sustainable.”
Emotions running high
Stalton hasn’t left the city to trek up north in 25 years but decided to for the eclipse and said he found the excursion “refreshing.”
“What a beautiful day it was," Stalton remarked. “Of all the places to have gone I’m glad that I came here.”
Chase agreed, describing the once-in-a-lifetime experience as “emotional.”
“The energy around us is potent,” Chase said. “Astrologically speaking, Mercury is in retrograde so it's an important time to align with our intuition. If we slow down and channel the passionate energy from the Aries’ new moon, magic is possible.”
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Solar eclipse 2024: Crowds flock to New York's Adirondack Park
