By Mike Lynch
A couple thousand people showed up in Newcomb to view the full solar eclipse on April 8, a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for the remote Essex County town better known for its solitude than crowds.
“It’s the most people that have ever been in Newcomb on any given day at any given time,” said David Hughes, director of parks recreation and events for the town.
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Similar crowds were reported throughout the Adirondack Park, particularly in Tupper Lake, Lake Placid and Essex.
The numbers were helped by the weather. Temperatures were in the 50s, and the sky was clear for the few minutes of totality.
Those elements combined for a surreal show. During the minutes leading up to the full eclipse — which lasted more than three minutes for some – the temperatures dropped, nighttime animals became active and the landscape glowed.
As forests, villages, and the sky turned dark, people took off their eclipse glasses and looked up as a ring of light surrounded the moon. It was magical.
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Months of planning led by Seth McGowan, president of the Adirondack Sky Center & Observatory, and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, and good weather came together.
McGowan did 58 presentations about the eclipse throughout the Adirondacks, starting in January 2023. ROOST also held community meetings starting a year ahead of the event.
There were few issues reported as tourist officials and businesses reported eclipse viewers to be responsible guests. Leading up to the event, people arrived over the course of days instead of all at once.
In Indian Lake in Hamilton County, roughly 5,000 people showed up to view the eclipse, said Christine Pouch, economic development, marketing and events manager for the town.
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“They didn’t mind waiting in the lines for the porta-potties or for the food,” she said. “It was just a great crowd.”
If there was a downside, it occurred just after the spectacle when thousands of people got in their vehicles and made an attempt to leave the Adirondack Park, creating traffic jams on main roads. The Northway was clogged for hours deep into the night as people got delayed by several hours on their drives home.
But that was outweighed by the spectacular solar show and robust tourism dollars raised. In Keene, Cedar Run Bakery owner Kristy Farrell reported strong sales.
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“I think it outdid even a Fourth of July or any summer holidays, (and that was) coupled with super nice folks being patient and a genuinely nice crowd,” she said.
Photo at top: Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York and their families watch the solar eclipse at Hidden Lake Camp in Lake Luzerne. Photo by Gwendolyn Craig
Kinda late on the reporting, AE. The total eclipse was over eight months ago. Anyway, the view in Kennet, Missouri was great and there were no crowds to deal with. Life in the South sure beats life up north.
It was a huge event in our area and worthy of mention as we reach the end 2024.
The funniest memory of the eclipse was Adirondack towns scared of running out of gas!
Funniest story to come out of the eclipse was towns in a panic about running out of gas and food!