RICHFORD, Vt. (WCAX) – As the countdown to the great American eclipse continues, communities both large and small that are in the path of totality are making plans.
The Franklin County communities of Richford and Enosburgh are among those smaller towns gearing up to see a spectacular sight in the sky.
“I think it will be busy. It would be cool if it was, and we will do the best we can to meet the demand,” said Ben Maddox, who along with his wife, owns the Flying Disk coffee shop in Enosburgh Falls, which also offers CDs, vinyl records, video games, and more.
Like others in the community, they’re excited to see the influx of visitors anticipated to come through for the solar eclipse. “We love out-of-town people. Most people that would be interested in this store are pretty cool. It will be fun to see what kind of people show up for the eclipse, you know — people that were involved enough to rent a hotel here,” Maddox said.
Town officials have already spent weeks planning for a solar eclipse party. The Enosburgh Public Library and community rec department will host an event at the local high school.
The town has 500 special eclipse glasses on hand to make sure viewers stay safe and officials are also working to figure out how to manage the traffic that comes with the expected influx of visitors.
“Could be 10 people or 10,000, we don’t know yet. We have been on some of the calls with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. It’s just, nobody knows how big the event is going to be, other than a lot of the hotels and inns and stuff are already sold out,” said Village Manager John Dasaro
“I envision it being a chance for village businesses — these small mom and pop businesses — maybe get a little extra business that day,” said the library’s Brenda Stanley.
In nearby Richford, the town is hosting a similar eclipse event at the elementary school and officials are working to spread the word to area small businesses.
“Trying to get the proper gear, equipment, to be able to safely look at the sky, look at the sun, how long it’s going to last. I guess I am not sure about the entirety of it. I am excited to find out. It’s going to be a once in a lifetime even,” said Jasmine Syed, a visitor from New Hampshire.
Richford will be going over their plans for the event with residents over the next couple of days.