At 3:32 pm on April 8, 2024, Houlton, Maine will be in the center of the path of totality of the Great North American Eclipse.
UPDATE: For all updated information about the Maine Eclipse events in Houlton, visit the Maine Eclipse website!
F.A. Peabody Insurance, now a state-wide insurance agency with 13 branch offices, was founded and is headquartered in Houlton. With nearly 100 years of local history, F.A. Peabody was the first Houlton business to recognize and act on the incredible economic opportunity that this once-in-a-lifetime natural phenomenon will bring to the area.
As part of the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation (SADC,) F.A. Peabody’s president, Chris Anderson, helped start an Eclipse committee of local volunteers in early 2022, two full years before the event. Because of the potential for tens of thousands of visitors for the eclipse, it was not a moment too soon. Planning began for marketing, lodging, education, fundraising, events, traffic control, and more.
In addition to setting work into motion, Anderson pledged to financially back the project by becoming one of three major sponsors for Maine Eclipse 2024. Several other sponsors followed, and the project is well underway. As marketing has continued, media coverage has become widespread.
Houlton will be the best place to experience Maine Eclipse 2024
Houlton is one of very few towns in Maine that will experience totality, which is when the moon completely obscures the sun. The sky will darken and temperatures will drop. As you can see in the map to the right, Houlton is in the middle of this path of totality, on the green line, giving it one of the longest viewing experiences at 3 minutes and 18 seconds, and it will be the last stop as the natural phenomenon leaves the U.S. and enters Atlantic Canada.
Towns nearer to the yellow lines on the map will see shorter totality. Beyond the yellow lines will not experience 100% totality. As we’ve heard it described, the difference between 99% and 100% totality is like the difference between smelling your neighbor’s barbecue and visiting your neighbor’s barbecue for the meal.
Houlton is at the end of I-95, an easy 90 minute drive from Bangor. In fact, it is the closest town to I-95 on the entire eclipse path. The drive is less than 4 hours from Portland, Maine’s largest city. Lodging is available in Houlton and the greater community. It’s also available in Bangor, or further north in Presque Isle or Caribou, if you wish to explore more of Aroostook County. Houlton also has its own airport for private planes.
With the eclipse happening on a Monday, events will start taking place over the preceding weekend. For a full list of events visit WHOUFM’s Community Calendar.
In the news:
Four things Mainers should know about the 2024 total solar eclipse
Some Maine schools closed, dismissing early April 8 for solar eclipse
Eclipse 2024: If you want to experience totality in Maine, plan ahead
WAGM Coverage of January 2024 Pubic Forum
A MOMENT IN THE SUN: A documentary film about Houlton, Maine and the 2024 total solar eclipse
