BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 5, 2023
A small Aroostook County town has planned an eclipse poster, a snappy commercial, kick-off parties and other events but has yet to nail down survival basics like food, lodging, transportation and portable toilets for the throngs expected to head its way next spring. Houlton, the last town in the United States to experience the 2024 total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, is calling on the town’s churches, nonprofits and residents to help feed and house the predicted masses of 20,000 to 80,000. The promise of potentially millions in eclipse money is, on its face, good news. But suddenly dropping a predicted 20,000 to 80,000 visitors into a town of a little more than 6,000 could become a logistical nightmare without planning and coordination.