As predicted, thousands of people traveled to the Adirondack Park for a rare celestial event on Monday, April 8 — a total solar eclipse — and right on cue around 3:25 p.m., the Earth’s moon completely covered the sun and gave onlookers a memory to last a lifetime.

Best of all, we were able to be safe while enjoying the moment because the region was prepared. Some people — especially those at the Adirondack Sky Center and Observatory in Tupper Lake — spent almost seven years getting ready for the 2024 eclipse after this region witnessed a partial eclipse in August 2017.

Over the past year, local, county and state government officials made sure the public was ready for the total solar eclipse crowds and that emergency services could respond in a timely manner in case they were needed.

And — because this was a major tourism event for the Adirondacks — the Lake Placid-based Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism spent the past year preparing our communities for the April 8 eclipse. ROOST provided business and community resources on its website (roostadk.com) and hosted a series of community calls to inform the public about the latest eclipse preparations. Plus it launched a website — 2024-eclipse.com –to get visitors ready and provided an Eclipse Help Line.

Kudos to ROOST and our government agencies for making those preparations. It was a job well done. This was not Y2K all over again. They prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. And we got the best. Thank you!