At 3:32 pm on April 8, 2024, Houlton, Maine enjoyed its moment in the sun with 20,000 visitors for the 2024 Maine Eclipse.
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 was well underway. As marketing continued, media coverage became widespread. Dozens of media outlets, including NBC News, NASA TV and The Weather Channel, set up in downtown Houlton for seamless streaming, thanks in part to WHOU FM and Pioneer Broadband.
Houlton was the best place to experience Maine Eclipse 2024
Houlton was one of very few towns in Maine that experienced totality, which is when the moon completely obscures the sun. In a crazy twist of fate, weather forecasts predicted a beautiful sunny day in Houlton, compared to overcast skies across the path of totality in the entire U.S. As such, visitors and residents in Houlton enjoyed a gorgeous 60 degree day with no snow on the ground, a rare treat in April in Maine!
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
