LIMESTONE, Maine — Communities throughout central Aroostook County are preparing to welcome droves of eclipse spectators next month.
With Houlton being the last stop in the U.S. to view the total eclipse, event organizers have projected that 40,000 or more people could visit on and before April 8. The town is gearing up for a full-blown festival April 5 to 8 that will include concerts, a space-themed improv group, “spiritual tent” and many church-led community meals. Two New York filmmakers will be on site making a documentary about the town’s spectacle.
Houlton will most likely receive the largest crowd, but Presque Isle, Caribou, Limestone and Easton are still in the path of totality, meaning that region of the County could still see upwards of 5,000 to 12,000 visitors, said Jacob Pelkey, tourism developer with Aroostook County Tourism.
“Houlton will be in complete totality up to three and a half minutes and as you drive north, the total time will get shorter,” Pelkey said. “Presque Isle’s totality will be around 3 minutes, Caribou two and a half minutes and Limestone two minutes. Once you’re up to Van Buren, [the eclipse] will be a blip of time.”
Event organizers are aiming to market central Aroostook as a much quieter destination for viewing the eclipse while still offering activities unique to the region.
In Limestone, one of the Loring Air Force Base’s most iconic spots will become one of Aroostook County’s 18 “Star Parks,” designated areas for viewing the eclipse that offer ample parking, public restrooms and safe ways for people to leave during influxed traffic.
At 93 Arizona Road, Loring’s “arch hangar” stands at 340 feet wide and 314 feet tall and once housed B-36 bomber aircraft at the height of the Cold War. The hangar has attracted thousands of tourists yearly, including snowmobile riders who enjoy posing for photos outside and Air Force veterans returning to visit the hangar’s vast interior.
Limestone Chamber of Commerce will open up the arch hangar on April 8 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for food vendors, a beer garden, DJ music and an antique snowmobile display. The Chamber is partnering with the U.S. Postal Service to offer an eclipse cancellation stamp for people wishing to mail out a commemorative postcard.
Volunteers will be selling raffle tickets, eclipse viewing glasses and t-shirts at the arch hangar, said Jo-Ellen Kelley, vice president of Limestone Chamber of Commerce.
The Loring Air Museum on Cupp Road will be open throughout the afternoon of April 8. On April 6, Limestone United Methodist Church at 52 Main St. will host breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m. and a baked bean supper from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
In Limestone, most of the local hotel and Airbnb rooms are booked, Kelley said. The Chamber is preparing for a large crowd of tourists, including many from out of state.
“We’ve gotten calls from people in Oklahoma, Colorado and Pennsylvania,” Kelley said to the town’s Select Board Wednesday. “Houlton cannot keep all of those people, so we’re trying to help spread them out.”
In nearby Caribou, the Wellness & Recreation Center at 55 Bennett Drive will serve as the city’s Star Park from noon to 6 p.m. on April 8, with games, food vendors and free eclipse viewing glasses.
The Francis Malcolm Science Center in Easton will host an “Eclipse Extravaganza” from 1 to 4 p.m. featuring planetarium shows, art- and science-based activities, eclipse viewing safety lessons and viewing glasses for sale.
Presque Isle city officials are planning four days of activities starting on April 5. The city’s five Star Parks will be located at the Presque Isle International Airport’s general aviation terminal, Northern Maine Fairgrounds, Aroostook Centre Mall, Riverside Pavilion parking lot and UMPI’s Gentile Hall parking lot.
Aroostook County Tourism has been urging local restaurants and gas stations to “staff up and stock up” for April 8, especially since the eclipse falls on Monday. Many restaurants have closed on Mondays due to short staffing after the pandemic, Pelkey said.
The eclipse could bring a large economic boost to a region that desperately needs one after this year’s shortened snowmobile season. An event of this magnitude might draw in the most first-time visitors to Aroostook since the 1997, 1998 and 2003 Phish concerts in Limestone, Pelkey said.
“Aroostook doesn’t have many events that draw in first-time visitors, but if people come and they have positive experiences with hospitality businesses and museums, then they might come back,” Pelkey said.
