'Arrive early, stay late, stay put': Stark County predicts tourism boom for solar eclipse

CANTON − Stark County's population is expected to nearly double when the solar eclipse rolls through Northeast Ohio.

Emergency management officials are preparing for this influx of hundreds of thousands of eclipse tourists on April 8.

"The biggest issue is there's going to be a lot of traffic, ... very much like having many of our large events at the same time," said Tim Warstler, director of county Emergency Management Agency.

Northwest Stark County, including Canal Fulton, will be in the line of total solar eclipse, when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, obstructing the view of the sun and darkening the sky. The rest of Stark County, including Canton, will experience a partial solar eclipse, where the sky darkens but will not go completely black.

The eclipse will first begin in the area around 2 p.m., with the total eclipse occurring around 3:30 for about two minutes. The entire event will end about an hour later.

Traffic will be the worst after the eclipse, when gathered crowds in the line of totality, which stretches north to Cleveland and west to Dayton, will leave all at once.

The biggest concern is people who are not prepared and get caught off guard by the sudden darkness, Warstler said.

"Nobody should be scared of this," he said. "Everybody just needs to be aware that it happens."

Make an eclipse plan: Arrive early. Stay late. Stay put.

Officials recommend planning ahead for the eclipse. If you are traveling, the motto is "arrive early, stay late, stay put."

Solar eclipse 2024: Will Stark County students have school on April 8?

Residents are encouraged to stay off roads if possible and be aware of events happening nearby.

"If you live close to state parks, large parks that might be listed as viewing sites, or event sites that might be hosting an event, you might want to be aware of that because traffic might be very heavy," Warstler said. "Plan for traffic, [take] alternate routes or work from home."

Stark Parks will be holding a viewing party at St. Helena Heritage Park in Canal Fulton. Other parks in the county will be open normal hours.

The state's website lists parks and public areas to view the eclipse.

How is Canal Fulton preparing for the eclipse?

Canal Fulton Mayor Joseph Schultz said the city is working with the parks to help manage visitors to the area. They plan to offer limited free tickets to the event to control capacity. The city may consider having a second event at the YMCA if they sell out.

"We're not really looking to make it a moneymaker or anything like that," Schultz said. "We just want to be organized so we get a sense of how many people want to come."

The Wilderness Center in Wilmot will host a series of information sessions presented by astronomy education specialist Robin Gill to educate the community ahead of the eclipse. The next one will be 10 a.m. Feb. 10 and will cover what to expect during the eclipse and how to properly view it.

They hope the sessions will help the community prepare for the eclipse, said Maureen Kampman, director of development.

She said there is a lot of excitement leading up to April.

"It is a once in a lifetime event for most people, so we think it's important that everybody gets to experience it," Kampman said.

Stark County hotels filling up for the eclipse

Tonja Marshall, chief marketing officer at Visit Canton, said they hope to encourage visitors to extend their stay in the county to help alleviate traffic and benefit the local economy.

"We've been trying to create reasons for people to stay longer," she said. "Come see the eclipse, but then share and experience different events where you are and maybe even book an overnight accommodation."

Hotels are anticipated to be almost fully booked for the eclipse, Marshall said.

"There are a few hotels that are getting close to selling out, but we have plenty of room availability at this point," she said. "We highly encourage people to go out and start making their plans now because we do anticipate that there will be high occupancy."

Reach Grace at 330-580-8364 or gspringer@gannett.com. Follow her on X @GraceSpringer16.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County predicts tourism boom for April solar eclipse