Small Adirondack communities lack ability to hosts crowds, plan on keeping events ‘low key’
By Mike Lynch
While many Adirondack towns are expecting turnouts measured in the thousands to view the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse, the forecast in the Champlain Valley is for smaller gatherings that will consist of hundreds of people.
“We’re such a tiny town and we’re not the epicenter of the Adirondacks,” said Essex Town Supervisor Ken Hughes. “So we’re trying to keep it as low key as possible because, really, I don’t have the resources. I don’t have the ability to put on events here in Essex to cater to really large crowds.”
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The 2020 census counted 621 full-time residents in Essex. Hughes estimated there are only about 30 rooms available in traditional lodging establishments. The community doesn’t have the tourism infrastructure of some of the larger Adirondack communities.
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The town has set up a viewing area downtown to accommodate several hundred people. Many of the viewers are expected to be full-time and seasonal residents.
By comparison, the Wild Center in Tupper Lake has sold about 4,500 tickets for its event for the April 8 total solar eclipse. That’s in addition to the thousands of people expected to view the eclipse from Tupper’s L.P. Quinn Elementary School, where the Adirondack Sky Center and Observatory is hosting a celebration.
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Lake Placid is also expected to draw thousands with viewing stations set up around town including at the Olympic facilities. Newcomb has about 1,000 people pre-registered for its town event near Overlook Park.
Total eclipse events in the Adirondacks
A round up of events taking place around the Adirondack region
Willsboro
In Willsboro, about five miles north of Essex, there are no planned events and the public is being directed to town parks to view the eclipse.
Supervisor Shaun Gilliland said his community hasn’t received many inquiries. Willsboro’s full-time population is about 1,900 people, and he expects it will balloon to about 5,000 like it does in July and August. Summer visitors, like other parts of the Champlain Valley, consist mainly of seasonal residents.
“We don’t have any big events because we don’t really have any big venues like the Sky Center or (Wild Center),” he said.
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But Gilliland, as the chair for the Essex County Board of Supervisors, is keenly aware of challenges the eclipse could pose. He noted that state police and local emergency workers will be on heightened alert.
But like many other people, he doesn’t know what to expect crowd-wise and much depends on whether the afternoon sky is clear.
“I think this is either gonna be a huge thing that this can challenge us or it could be one big nothing-burger,” he said.
Westport and other communities
Westport does have viewing stations set up at the nearby Westport Golf Course and at the local high school. Elizabeth Maffey, a member of the Westport Wadham’s Community Alliance, anticipates crowds could grow beyond local and seasonal residents if there is a “spillover” effect if touristy spots such as the High Peaks towns get congested.
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Other areas in the Champlain Valley hosting viewing events include the Crown Point State Historic Site on Lake Champlain.
Ticonderoga, between Lake George and Lake Champlain, set up several designated viewing areas, including at Bicentennial Park. Ticonderoga is just outside the path of totality.
Champlain Area Trails plans hikes
Corey Patenaude is the community engagement and outreach manager for Champlain Area Trails (CATS) in Westport. She lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, when the 2017 full solar eclipse occurred Although that eclipse passed through several hours north in Idaho, she recalled people leaving the event got stuck in traffic for 12 hours, three times the normal drive time.
“It was really eye opening to see how many people were willing to drive for the extra four or six hours,” she said.
Expecting an influx of people, CATS has organized events in the days before and after the eclipse. Many Champlain Valley trails are in better condition than High Peaks ones, which still are muddy, snowy and icy. Patenaude recommends people stay in town for the actual eclipse because CATS trails are in wooded areas that won’t have good visibility.
Patenaude recalled that she watched the eclipse outside of the totality path, and it was “beautiful.” She recalled the lighting was interesting and the experience was enjoyable.
“I just remember it being really fun to watch,” she said.
Photo at top: Lake Champlain photo by Carl Heilman II, courtesy of the Adirondack Council
Just a note: You say “Westport does have viewing stations set up at the nearby Westport Golf Course and at the local high school”, but the high school is in Elizabethtown, the county seat and not mentioned in the article. Or, did you mean the local elementary school? Or the County Fairgrounds?