Eclipse Viewing Celebrations
Eclipse Viewing Celebrations
Local Gatherings Planned; FREE Viewing Glasses Available
Buffalo will have a lengthily duration of totality, lasting for 3 minutes and 45 second. Photo / nationaleclipse.com
The Enchanted Mountains will be a part of the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024. Within the county, the time of the eclipse will range from 2:00pm-4:45pm. The path of totality, which is the locations where the moon’s shadow completely covers the sun or the on average, will begin at 3:18pm in the Enchanted Mountains.
It is essential to NOT STARE AT THE SUN without the proper safety lenses. With that in mind, members of our local communities are welcome to visit enchantedmountains.com and request FREE solar viewing glasses from them. You can request them for pick up in Olean, Little Valley or even ask that they be delivered. You can order them for just yourself or your whole family. Max amount is 100 per request unless you are a local business organization.
There will be many great opportunities to enjoy viewing the Total Solar Eclipse. Some great places to view it would be Allegany State Park, Griffis Sculpture Park (Rohr Hill Side), along the Amish Trail and Onoville Marina Park.
If you’re looking for a great way to celebrate locally, stop in at one of the Eclipse Viewing Celebrations. HoliMont is hosting a Total Eclipse Party from 12:00-4:00pm on the day of the event. There will be a cookout style lunch where you can purchase hotdogs, hamburgers and more from Dina’s at the Mont out on the patio, as well as stay entertained by playing corn hole or trivia before viewing the event at 3:15pm. The event is free to attend. (Food/beverages sold separately.)
Not to be left out, Holiday Valley is inviting guests to book their Eclipse Totality Bash Package ahead of the event. The package includes access to a VIP viewing area, commemorative souvenir arrival gift, drink tickets, souvenir eclipse viewing glasses and (weather permitting) a chairlift ride to the top of Mardi Gras for optimal viewing. The schedule for the bash begins a day ahead of the eclipse on Sunday, where there will be educational talks, live music, food and drink specials, beer/liquor sampling and door prizes. Then on April 8th, the actual viewing party runs from 1:00-6:00pm at the Holiday Valley Lodge & Base Area.
And these aren’t the only places to be celebrating this natural phenomenon. The Ellicottville Chamber hosted a meeting at the Wingate last week to discuss putting together a town wide event that is in the early stages of planning. (Be on the lookout on evlNOW’s and the Ellicottville Chamber’s social media pages for more details as they become available.) Madigan’s Bar and Grill will be having an eclipse viewing party for everyone to join in as well and viewing the eclipse from the outdoor bar area should be a treat. You can also hop over to the Seneca Allegany Resort and Casino in Salamanca and indulge in some eclipse fun at their event. There will be food trucks, balloon artists, games, live music, face-painting and more.
During all of this rambunctious fun, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, the weather in April in Western New York is, for lack of a better term, changeable. The ground may be a mix of snow/mud or it could be raining or even still snowing. (You never know around here honestly.) Cloud coverage could obscure viewing areas. Or we could have the most clear skies and amazing viewing conditions (fingers crossed).
Second, keep in mind that this is a huge deal so there will be a lot of folks coming from all over for their chance to see the eclipse. Be aware of heavy traffic conditions, such as cars stopping on the road or pulling off to the side to park, and many people walking through.
Lastly, the eclipse is an amazing occurrence and a force of nature. Animals and people can be affected by its arrival. The sky will darken quickly and stay dark for an average of around 3 minutes. The temperature could drop over 20 degrees in less than 2 minutes, which may cause issues for those sensitive to that type of thing and both animals and people can become disorientated due to environmental changes.
With everything in mind, you should be able to view the eclipse safely and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime (or twice depending on how long you live) opportunity. The last total solar eclipse to pass over our state was on January 24th, 1925 and the next one won’t be until August 23rd, 2044.
So book your stay, pick up your free viewing glasses and party with your favorite people when the world goes dark on April 8th. If you want to find out what the eclipse will look like in an area you plan to visit ahead of time, visit eclipse2024.org and scope out their interactive path of totality map.
