Photo by Julia Ferrini
As news of the impending eclipse visit in April continues to ramp up, it’s likely a fair share of folks still aren’t feeling equal enthusiasm for something that’s supposed to last only a few minutes once it gets here.
Tom Sargent, Corfu village mayor, can relate.
“I probably talked to Katy Hobbs from the Chamber back a year ago; I didn’t really know what was really happening. I knew it was a total eclipse but didn’t know how close it was going to be to us. So I didn’t really put much thought into it myself,” Sargent said to The Batavian, noting how his attitude shifted once he learned more. “Then, in the fall, you start hearing more about it; the Chamber’s got some activities going on. And then it was like ok, so this is a big deal. This is a historic event that none of us will ever see in this area again. So we decided to put something together to remember it and bring the community together."
“We've got an opportunity to show off the village to people who are not from around here, they're talking the county population could double or triple, you know, they talked about that,” he said. “So, we just wanted to have an opportunity to do something else … we sat down and I thought we were gonna come up with a day and we were going to do some stuff.”
Was he ever off the mark. The committee of seven municipal, fire, church and community members were not just in — they were all in. A one-day viewing event turned into a party for the village: someone suggested a parade and then a dance, which led to a family movie night, and then square dancers at the Grange wanted to get involved to offer lessons and demonstrations, and then a craft fair was organized, food trucks were lined up, and before they knew it, the village had a three-day eclipse extravaganza going on.
The committee has mapped out a full three-day slate of events, beginning with an Alien Parade at 6 p.m. on April 6 at Corfu Fire Hall.
Participants are to line up at 5 p.m. at the fire hall, with the route to end at Pembroke intermediate School. All are welcome to join in, and enter your alien-themed float.
Then there’s a dance party at 7:30 p.m. at the school for all ages, with DJ Leon Perry and demonstrations of square dancing.
Sargent said that the square dancers had originally offered to host it at the Grange, but the village welcomed them into the mix for one more activity at the school.
“I know I haven't done it since I was in elementary school. It's a thing that's unique that a lot of people don't do, it’s something that I guess old timers, they talk about it, and the older generation, that they do, but if we can do something to bring it back or expose people to something that they don't get to see every day, then why not?” he said. “They're gonna bring in square dancers from all over the area, there'll be some demonstrations, there'll be some instruction, and you know, we're hoping to get some people to come out and do a little do-si-do and have some fun with it.”
Just as with the annual Christmas parade and Autumn in the Village, Sargent is hoping that this event will be a success as well: “I would love to see the gym filled that weekend,” he said.
They already have 23 vendors signed up for the Craft Fair, he said.
Admission for the dance is $5, and children under 10 are free. There will be food trucks available on both April 6 and 7.
“It’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, and it’s not going to happen again, not in this way,” Village Clerk-Treasurer Jennifer Eck said. “I feel like we talked about this a year ago. We were going to have a craft show on the lawn and then said what if we have a snowstorm? It’s in April!”
The committee has involved firefighters, church members, residents, and village staff, and everyone has been eager to see this come together, Eck said.
A later addition has been a pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. on April 7 at the Community Center, 116 E. Main St., followed by the craft show and a planetarium exhibit in the school gym from 1 to 5 p.m. and then Family Movie Night at 7 p.m. featuring “Home” and “E.T.” Sort of gives one the feeling there’s a theme going here in Corfu. Admission is a food donation for Corfu Food Pantry.
“So the historic aspect of it is probably one of the driving factors. But really, it's just an opportunity for the village to get together, come out, have an activity, winter's going to be over, we'll have an opportunity to come out of our houses and see what the world looks like,” Sargent said. “You know, kind of like the groundhog coming out and seeing his shadow. But really, that's probably the biggest drivers is, our community is really starting to become more and more and more active. People are looking for things to do. We just want to give them an opportunity to do it.”
An eclipse viewing party is set from noon to 5 p.m. April 8, with a corn hole competition, live trivia, a miniature golf course and those funky 3D-like glasses safe for eclipse viewing will be available for purchase.
Viewing action is to happen at 3:19 p.m., and guests at all events on April 8 are asked to stay put for awhile to help alleviate traffic congestion. With corn hole, yummy food and trivia, why would anyone be leaving anyway?
All events in Corfu are to carry on rain or shine. For more information about an event, call 585-599-3327 or email clerk@corfuny.gov.
So what will happen on April 8?
According to NASA, A total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun.
The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. During a total solar eclipse, if the skies are clear, people can see the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, with their own eyes.
The corona is otherwise too dim to see against the bright face of the Sun. A total solar eclipse is the only type of solar eclipse where viewers can momentarily remove their eclipse glasses (not the same as ordinary sunglasses) for this brief period of time when the Moon is completely blocking the Sun. This is what will happen in the U.S. on April 8.
While the moon makes its closest approach to earth on this day, at 223,000 miles, there are a whole lot of Genesee County communities planning to take advantage of that distance by pulling together for all things in the name of eclipse totality.
Employees will be taking a day off from work; students will be excused from classes; businesses will feature themed meal, dessert, drink and snack options and thousands of folks are expected to be donning those special glasses for safe eclipse viewing.
It’s all set to happen on April 8, although, as is the case with Corfu, some municipalities are taking advantage of expected out of town visitors with a full weekend array of activities.
Elba is also planning its share of lively action for this rare space occurrence, School Superintendent Gretchen Rosales said.
“Considering that this event will put the spotlight on our county, we want everyone to see just how special our community is,” Rosales said. “Elba is incredible, and we are very proud of it. We have a beautiful school, great businesses, and a wonderful small-town feel. My hope is that our businesses gain long-standing customers who otherwise wouldn't know about our products and services.
“It is also my hope that our school families are able to enjoy the eclipse, either at home or at school, and make some great memories of this once-in-a-lifetime event!” she said.
The village of Elba and school communities have worked together since last November to plan and organize ideas, she and Village Clerk-Treasurer Jerah Augello said.
“Our science department began to attend instructional collaboration meetings with the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce to plan for instructional activities to teach our students about the solar eclipse,” Rosales said. “We are hosting a block party at the school, which includes games/food booths/local vendors. Many of our school clubs and organizations will also be setting up tables and booths. There are also local businesses that will be featuring special merchandise or offers. For example, Chap's Diner will have eclipse themed meals and will have a dessert table at our school.”
Everyone's favorite band, The Front Porch Pickers will be playing at the school, she said.
“We thought the chances of people coming to Elba were pretty great, given it’s on Route 98, so we worked with Elba Central School and local businesses,” Augello said.
Chap’s Diner will have food specials, along with Oliver’s and Sweet Life Winery will be selling special chocolates, she said.
“All money will go back into the local community, whether it’s the school, a fundraiser or business commerce,” Augello said.
She has served as a constant reminder to folks about the upcoming event, and “we’re getting excited about it,” she said.
A viewing party will be from 1 to 4 p.m. on school grounds, with food, games, face painting, live music, the Boy Scouts will be selling onion soup as a fundraiser, Elba eclipse bumper sticker sales with a free bag of onions from Torrey Farms, will benefit the Jordyn Torrey Augello Foundation, and each purchase of I Saw the Solar Eclipse in Elba, NY shirt will benefit Elba school.
Other activities include a martial arts demo by Amerikick Batavia, a variety of foods for purchase at the school, including hotdogs, burgers, nachos and baked goods, beverages of hot chocolate, coffee and flavored lemonade. Chap’s dessert table sill be filled with caramel apple pie, raspberry dream pie, coconut cream pie and Texas chocolate sheet cake.
To alleviate traffic congestion, there will be shuttles to and from key points in the village, stationed at Elba Central School, Sweet Life, Veterans Memorial Park (parking and viewing site), Chap’s and Elba Presbyterian Church.
Porter Farms will also be hosting a watch party from noon to 5 p.m. April 8 at 4911 Edgerton Road, Elba. This free event will include music by the Bluesway Band, a bounce house, concessions for sale from Alabama Hotel, and heated barns. To attend the party, registration is requested HERE.
The Tonawanda Reservation Historical Society at the Tonawanda Indian Community House is hosting a free event from noon to 5 p.m. for viewing on April 8 "for a fun day commemorating the Eclipse.”
Activities will include "Iroquois Legends of The Eclipse" historical presentations throughout the day, public tours and viewing of the exhibits and artifacts within the Community House.
"We are participating because we also have a book club and have been reading about legends, and we like to do things for the community,” Society leader Juanita Poodry Dunn said. “We're listed on the county page for our activities, legends, food, free glasses, and viewing of artifacts in the community house. There are also restaurants, gas stations, gift shops and dispensaries.”
Hot dogs, macaroni salad and soft drinks will be available for purchase, and visitors are asked to bring a chair and dress appropriately for the day. Temperatures may dip as much as 10 degrees during the eclipse arrival.
According to the Society’s website, the Seneca people are one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, known as the Haudenosaunee or People of the Longhouse, who have occupied Western New York for centuries. The majority of their settlements were located along the Genesee River Valley. Senecas have lived along the Tonawanda Creek since the early 1700s. The Reservation is located east of Akron, New York, where Erie, Genesee, and Niagara counties meet.
Oakfield Betterment Committee also jumped on the bandwagon to provide some western county action, and it’s not too late to participate, President Jamie Lindsley said.
“OBC wanted to host an event surrounding the total solar eclipse because it’s such a rare event at any given location. OACS students are still on spring break on Monday, April 8, so we are hoping families will come out to enjoy the live music by Salvatore, savor food by Caryville and treats by Sweet Ally’s, and make use of the spacious park for games as well as eclipse-related activities,” she said. “Students will receive glasses at school and should bring them along, plus we will have some available on that day.
“There is great potential for local commerce, and we love the scientific as well as historic nature of being directly in the path of totality. We encourage people to arrive early and stay as long as they can to avoid any potential traffic,” she said. “There will be plenty of parking and admission is free. We are trying to get a few more groups involved, so it’s not too late if they’d like to be a part of the festivities.”
If interested in being part of Oakfield’s event, call Lindsley at 585-704-6663, or email jamie@oakfieldbetterment.com.
Everyone is invited to bring a chair or blanket and sit on the lawn at Richmond Memorial Library for a viewing event from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. April 8, said Kelly March of the library’s Youth Services department.
“We will have outdoor lawn games, and hands-on science stations for folks to record data on their science apps. Pre-registration is not required for this free event,” March said. “The official timing for the astronomical event in our zip code is 2:05 p.m., the beginning of moon to eclipse, the sun and the sky will begin to slowly darken (even if it’s a cloudy stormy day). At 3:19 p.m. the moon will appear to be in full coverage of the sun and last until 3:22 pm. The completion of the solar eclipse is expected to occur at 4:32 p.m. with normal light restored.”
The library last hosted such an event in the sunnier and warmer month of August 2017, bringing out 400 people to observe a partial solar eclipse. The staff was able to distribute 2,000 free eclipse glasses prior to and on the day of the event, and the biggest difference between then and now will be the uncertainty of the weather conditions, March said.
“Anyone who saved their eclipse glasses from 2017 and the lenses have no damage can use them in April,” she said. “This once in a lifetime viewing event is open to all members of our community free of charge.”
The library is at 19 Ross St., Batavia.
For more information about these and other events, exhibits and lodging throughout the county, go GeneSEE the Eclipse.
