TUPPER LAKE, N.Y. (WCAX) – Cloudy skies in western New York likely sent many people fleeing to the North Country for Monday’s total solar eclipse, and it brought the region a tourism boost.
People in Tupper Lake are still feeling the euphoric eclipse buzz, one day after Monday’s once-in-a-lifetime celestial event that brought thousands of people into the region.
For the Adirondack village, it was their time to shine after years of planning.
“People maybe had to put up a few more cones or a few more signs on getting people to the right parking area but overall, things went really smooth as we can ask for considering there was no rule book really to follow and this was a one-time event, things went pretty well,” said Michelle Clement, the director of marketing for the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism.
For businesses like Raquette River Brewing, it was a time to cash in and welcome roughly 10,000 visitors.
“Similar to a really busy summer weekend or even better than that,” said Mark Jessie, a co-owner of Raquette River Brewing.
Jessie says he hopes and believes many will return to the Adirondacks after Monday’s spectacular viewing celebration.
“Anytime you get exposure like that, that you do not normally get and you know, a wide exposure from people all over the country– all over the world actually, it is always a great thing,” he said.
For the Adirondack Sky Center and Observatory, it was a moment to document a long-awaited astronomical event. President Seth McGowan says they were one of several sites that had live feeds of the eclipse, one that NASA frequently used on Monday.
“It seemed like we were on there way more than I thought were going to be,” he said.
McGowan says NASA ended up using the Sky Center’s feed for more than seven minutes due to the weather conditions across the state. However, he says his favorite part was the reaction of those taking in the experience.
“I could hear what was going on and to know that we were part of setting that up and providing that to people was just immensely gratifying for me,” McGowan said.
He hopes the experience will inspire more visits to the center and curiosity about the sky.
“We will enjoy looking at the sun in essentially a different light from this point on, with a different appreciation here in Tupper Lake,” he said.