PennWest Edinboro, Erie's Presque Isle among places prepping for total eclipse
Oct. 24—Western Pennsylvania science professors and astronomy buffs didn't exactly have a riveting view of the recent annular solar eclipse.
Most bemoaned the cloudy, rainy weather forecast and said they were already looking ahead and making plans for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, when Erie will be in the path of totality for nearly four minutes.
According to Erie's tourism bureau, they'd better book a room soon.
"We've been working on plans for the total eclipse for nearly a year," said Christine Temple, communication director for Visit Erie. "The center line (of the eclipse path) is just off Presque Isle State Park, so we're in a really good position for it. Cleveland and Buffalo are also in the path, but Erie is the only major area in Pennsylvania."
As of Oct. 23, Temple said the city's overnight properties are already at 60% capacity.
"All of our waterfront hotels are booked, and all our campgrounds are also booked," she said. "We expect between 65,000 and 250,000 people coming into the city, whether they're coming up for a long weekend since the eclipse is on Monday, or just coming up for the day."
David Hurd, planetarium director and professor of astronomy at Pennsylvania West Edinboro, won't need a hotel room. The university is also in the path of totality.
"During the annular eclipse, I was telling everyone that this is the warm-up band," Hurd said. "April 8, 2024, will be the headliner."
The eclipse's path of totality stretches in a 50-80-mile-wide band through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania.
At PennWest Edinboro, Hurd and others will be watching at the university's football stadium.
"The public is invited, we'll have people on the turf, in the stands, we'll have entertainment and we're going to have a great time," Hurd said. "It's also a lot easier to get in and out of here than it will be up around Presque Isle and Erie."
Hurd said the university will experience about three minutes and 17 seconds of the total eclipse.
"Erie will get an extra 20 seconds or so," he said.
From a marketing standpoint, Temple and the staff at Visit Erie are letting potential visitors know what they can do while they're waiting for the eclipse, primarily through a new website, ErieEclipse2024.com.
"It's got a countdown clock, listings for different events that are taking place," she said. "We're trying to let people now what they can do in order to make a few days of it, whether it's visiting the zoo, the state park or doing some shopping."
Temple said the traffic immediately following the eclipse could be as monumental as the event itself.
"We've heard from other places where total eclipses have taken place that it's just a mass exodus right after totality ends," she said. "So we're working with PennDOT and other local transportation officials on how to keep traffic flowing and safe for everybody."
Temple said the next time Erie will see a total eclipse is 2044.
"It's such a rare occurrence," she said. "If people from the Pittsburgh are looking to come up, make a reservation now."
VisitErie.com provides information on hotel availability and other lodging.
Hurd said PennWest Edinboro is hosting regular shows at its planetarium focused on educating people about eclipses.
"We want people to not just have a great experience, but also have an understanding of it, of why eclipses occur and why this one is different than the last one," he said.
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Related:
—Erie's view of the 2024 solar eclipse will be exceptional. It's also going to cost you.
—Western Pennsylvania nearly in path of totality for 2024 solar eclipse
—Weekend weather could make partial eclipse tough to watch in Western Pa.
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Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick by email at pvarine@triblive.com or via Twitter .
