Houlton Maine Total Solar Eclipse.
The Great North American Total Solar Eclipse, did you witness Totality? April 8th, 2024 was a pretty big deal in my small hometown of Houlton Maine.
Perfect weather, years of planning, lots of food, fun and family spreading blankets, putting on eclipse glasses. Loads of people young and old from everywhere flocked to Houlton Maine. Traveling to Southern Aroostook County for the total solar eclipse experience.
The screams, laughter, cheering, clapping, singing then silence to take it all in at the moment of Totality.
Different than watching a yearly small town fireworks display to celebrate the 4th of July nation’s birthday.
It is high emotion and relief, hope, faith, wonderment, science all rolled into the one Johnny one time hit wonder.
Knowing this kinda spectacle does not happen everyday, not once a year nor is it a CGI Hollywood digital stunt.
Weather temps drop, a solar wind develops, animals and humans alike can be caught off guard if you missed the memo about totality.
Besides the 6,000 locals, how many visitors showed up for the Houlton Maine total solar eclipse?
To me it felt like (adding machine stops, ripping paper sound) … 27,417. Seriously, like the prediction of how many would come, the exact head count of how many actually did will cause wild speculation. Then the media herd will run with the distilled number or a tad little higher in the race to be the most accurate source of news.
Here is what I can tell you about the total solar eclipse in Northern Maine.
Talked with a family from Maryland next to us with two young children. They peered up at the 2017 total solar eclipse. Said they are hooked on totality and just had to travel to Houlton Maine for another town with one.
Another West African man who lives in Berwick Maine now among the many. Sadie’s Bakery took an informal census from their donut sales, claiming 21 states and Switzerland for eclipse festival customers.
All today rubbing sore necks from all over Maine to California, extending across the pond to England. Heck even from what would appear to be other solar systems friendly curious aliens transported down from the Mother Ship to Market Square.
What builds eclipse nervous excitement is so much at stake for tourist dollars and the maximum experience speculation on the Maine weather.
What good is totality and all the logistical eclipse planning if a stubborn cloud cover pattern blind folds it all to make detailed viewing impossible or diminished?
Don’t want to over stock or wished you had prepared better as a retailer.
Leading up to the total solar eclipse, the Houlton Maine planners, vendors, dining, lodging and event participants just did not know.
All rolling the dice like a Maine farmer in spring hoping for a money making or at least a break-even year ahead.
You work on the devil in the details part of the let’s host a Houlton Maine total solar eclipse event.
Put the Maine small town on the map and sharpen your tourism skill set. Everyone have a safe fun memorable time and see what a neat small Maine town we live in and what we can do?
Southern Maine coastal towns and cities get a lot more tourist marketing experience.
Totality in “The County” put Houlton and Aroostook on the map for more than the standard fifteen minutes of fame and mention.
It was not until last week that national, state and local weather forecast skies brightened for Houlton Maine.
When you see Al Roker pointing at the eclipse path of totality across the nation smiles ear to ear. Touting Maine as is the only eclipse path section standing out as clear blue, it made everyone’s pulse quicken. Big sense of urgency that something very important was looming.
Ready or not, it was here it comes, the last call for the Great North American total solar eclipse 2024 edition.
Lots of folks did make the trip north up I-95 to the Gateway from Maine to the Atlantic Canadian provinces for the total solar eclipse. Houlton Maine is at the crossroads of US RT 1, 2, 2A and I-95.
Maine weather was the biggest concern because it’s always take it or leave it.
Pivot and adapt to work with what you got and Maine weather is never ho hum the same. The spring like clear blue skies and 62 degree temperature conditions April 8th could have been a better stage for total perfect darkness. Other pathway of totality states like Texas did not fare as well, Houlton Maine got a boost of even total solar eclipse watchers
Houlton International Airport KHUL was the busiest it has been since World War Two days of lend lease flys in.
Where local farmers hooked onto planes to “drive not fly” them into neighboring Canada before the US declared war on the Axis. In my Maine real estate job, that airport is a real asset for travelers.
Eleven big jets, sixty or more smaller private pilot aircraft added to the total solar eclipse frenzy.
A total solar eclipse and perfect weather conditions is a rare bird.
A Maine eclipse is not something you can put off and maybe view next week or the one after that when your schedule is not so overbooked. There is no rain date or second chance for an eclipse. The dress rehearsal date is missing and the next one is a decade away.
Adam Sandler’s jet, Oprah’s private aircraft, even talk Taylor Swift’s sky ride was here according to the coffee drinkers down at the corner store grapevine news outlet.
Not sure if she was in it or not but lots of media buzz about who flew in for the total eclipse of the Sun. Like the Carly Simon song about heading to Nova Scotia. (Now you have the clouds in my coffee, the “You’re So Vain” song playing in your head right?)
The NASA scientists showed up in Houlton Maine and just as predicted, the perfect calculations hit the astronomical power ball.
At 3:32 PM April 8th, 2024 full totality arrived overhead Houlton Maine.
The weather channel, state and national media broadcast networks and World wide news services were in Houlton Maine!
What really helps studying, capturing a total solar eclipse on film and in the memory banks is not just the weather forecast. Lights, when it gets dark in a small Maine town, the photo sensor kicks them on like night time clock work.
Our local Houlton Water Company power utility pulled the plug in “star parks”. So totality was true total darkness. Thank you HWC for the boom, boom out go the lights!
The day after a Houlton Maine total solar eclipse.
Not quite like a Monday Christmas and then return to a business-as-usual normal Tuesday.
You do think about the solar system overhead when you did not before so much. The power of planets and moons and how their interaction affect our daily life suddenly, well eclipse. Everything gets elevated high above the news of the day and line items on your to do list.
How did the Maine total solar eclipse affect you?
Some watching the wall to wall eclipse news asking what am I missing?
Am I the only one that does really care about the moon butting in front of the sun to darken the Earth?
Others remember eight grade science class trips and the outdoor night time look up at the stars.
Time to test your constellation star pattern eclipse planet orbit astronomy knowledge recall.
But for those lucky enough to be in totality pathway, the solar eclipse news dominates your thoughts on a Tuesday morning. As life settles down, the population trims and small Maine town life resumes.
You can not help but be reminding all of us are pretty darn lucky to live in Houlton Maine, any of the 450 small communities in this rural New England state.
Would not trade it for anything and I hope folks who came to the Houlton eclipse went
away with a good feeling about small simple Maine town living.
The next eclipse is August 23, 2044.
Mark your calendar time right?
Are you too busy or healthy enough to witness another one and just how far would you travel to experience another one? Are you an eclipse addict or groupie?
Most solar eclipses go out over the Earth’s expanse of water and are not available to enjoy.
It’s like being a gunslinger preparing for the shoot out getting prepared for the time sensitive solar eclipse event.
Had telephoto lens on one camera, a wide angle one on another on a tripod and the cell phone, Go Pro. No one wants to miss a Kodak moment.
Remember “Time goes by”.
What does a total solar eclipse experience do to a person? There is nothing ho hum about it. Listen to the folks around you react to totality. Going in, during, coming out of the light to darkness back to light.
Emotions bubble up in the anticipation excitement, for some fear, others wonderment. It forces clarity, awards wisdom, develops patience and for a moment there is an out of this World connection.
The Sun, Earth, Moon and stars are a tad older than the rest of us.
The celestial orbits and the plantThe eclipse light to darkness is humbling, powerful, a positive experience for 99% of people no matter what nationality, race, religion, politics. It’s science, historic and definitely time
sensitive.
An eclipse is a bigger than life event… Far out, right on, it blows your mind man.
In a small Maine town, the eclipse is comforting, unifying, a positive experience that leaves you thinking now what.
Pondering what just happened and how does it change anything going forward.
It opens a person up and spurs you on to be a better person and do more for mankind.
Not hokey, and not because of mushrooms or edibles.
Pills?
No thank you. Pass. High on life.
The Maine eclipse happened just as the corner is turned from winter to mud season to spring.
At first knowledge of the date, I think most folks in Maine thought “Wish it was in summer,
any other time than April 8th for all the
company we had drop in for the eclipse.
But now thinking the beginning of spring and renewal, planting new seeds and the end of winter / mud season was the perfect time.
(It did not hurt the weather did 180 degree change to sunshine and warm temps either.)
The older you get, the faster the seasons turn.
Knowing many of us won’t see another one is sobering but freeing as we all accept that.
Turning the page and moving on with a little different outlook thanks to Maine eclipse 2024.
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Hope you enjoy the image highlights from the Great North American Houlton Maine total solar eclipse 2024.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
307.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com | MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA
