Total solar eclipse draws visitors to western, northern Maine

Apr. 8—Under a baby blue, cloudless sky, the town of Rangeley was buzzing with excitement on Monday morning for the total solar eclipse passing through Maine just before 3:30 p.m.

By 9:30 a.m., some 30 people had marked their territory with camping chairs and telescopes at Whip Willow Farm Scenic Overlook, a premier eclipse viewing destination just outside of downtown Rangeley.

Massachusetts-residents Mitch Heydt and Sachin Sawe set up camp outside there at 4:30 a.m. While a crowd was growing at the small overlook parking lot mid morning, the pair was relishing in their success at scoring a spot at one of the best viewing locations in town.

"Beating everyone to the punch in the perfect spot as the first people here was the best feeling," Heydt said. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You cannot have anything come between you and capturing the shot."

At the height of the eclipse, the Franklin County Emergency Management agency anticipates around 20,000 people will fill up trails, streets and parks in the Rangeley Lakes Region. Here, the duration of totality, when onlookers can safely remove their protective glasses, will last for 2 minutes and 25 seconds. The entire eclipse will last 2 hours and 21 minutes.

At 3:29 p.m. in Rangeley, the moon will cross paths with the sun and cast a shadow on the earth, creating a total solar eclipse.

The chance of sunny skies in Maine was low during the April rainy season, but in the path of totality from Dover-Foxcroft to Caribou and from Jackman across to Houlton, forecasts are bright.

To hold ownership over their spot among a line of photographers and astronomers lined against the stone wall of the overlook, Sawe and Heydt came with food, shovels, chairs and a portable toilet.

After taking in the sprawling views of Rangeley Lake and the western Maine mountains, the amateur nature photographers started to get their bearings. Thy were quickly busy setting up their $22,000 worth of gear to photograph the eclipse. That includes four cameras and their covered star tracker, a piece of photography equipment that will lock onto the sun and follow it along it's path.

"This is a dry run because once it starts we can't afford to mess up," Sawe said. "But during totality, we are not going to be bogged down. We can just enjoy the moment without glasses."

'IT'S SO FUN'

In Presque Isle, Hub Coffee on Main Street is "off the rails busy," said general manager David Rowe.

Nearly three dozen people were packed in the cafe at 8:30 a.m., forming a line to the back edge of the building. Rowe said the baristas had served 111 coffees since the shop opened at 6 a.m.

"It took a little bit to get going, but it's like a freight train, it's been so busy," Rowe said.

Outside the shop, signs point to various "Star Parks" where visitors can gather to take in the eclipse. Rowe said he has felt the Presque Isle — rural Aroostook County's largest city — swell with travelers over the last week.

"It's so fun," Rowe said. "We have seen, even toward the middle part of last week, tons of people coming in from away. It's been really fun to meet them."

Cars began arriving and filling up all the available parking spaces in downtown Millinocket by 9:30 a.m. In the town square, music blared from loudspeakers and visitors spread blankets and camp chairs, settling in for an hours-long wait for those magical three minutes of totality.

Charlie Sawyer, 63, is president of the Downeast Amateur Astronomy Club. He said he drove three hours from his home in Pembroke to set up his Schmidt-Cassagrain compound reflector telescope in the town square.

The telescope had a solar filter attached to protect viewers' eyes, and was tracking the path of the sun. Curious onlookers would occasionally step up to the telescope to take a peek at the sun through the eyepiece.

Sawyer also had added an extra filter to the telescope, made out of a cardboard box, so viewers could watch the eclipse safely.

He said he remembers his first total eclipse in 1963, when he was just two years old.

"I couldn't go outside to watch it," he said. "My mother wouldn't let me. She didn't want me to look at the sun. So this is an important one for me.

"Eclipses happen every month somewhere, but to have it in the same state (where you are), they're very rare. I remember the one in '63, I was so small I could stand at the window and lean my arms on the windowsill. So this one, it means a lot to come and see it."

Business Editor Meg Robbins and Digital Editor Katherine Lee contributed to this report.

This story will be updated.