The calls started last year, from people with seasonal properties and Airbnbs.
鈥淭hey've got invited guests coming, and they said, 'Well, we don't want everybody using our bathroom, so we're going to rent a porta-let,'鈥� said Kim Littlefield.
She runs Complete Excavation and Septic Services in Isle La Motte, which rents out port-a-potties and other portable restrooms.
鈥淪o I said, 鈥榃ow, OK, I better expand this,鈥� and put a little ad out there for anybody 鈥� parties and whatnot, that people may be doing celebrations for,鈥� Littlefield said.
鈥淲e're getting a lot of, 鈥極h God, am I too late? I know this is a big deal. Do you have any units left?' It鈥檚 almost gone viral.鈥�Kim Littlefield
is a collage of three photos stacked on top of each other 鈥� of a solar eclipse, people wearing eclipse glasses and Littlefield with her staff in front of a row of port-a-potties. Text over the images reads: 鈥淏e a part of History 鈥� Solar Eclipse,鈥� with the company鈥檚 phone number.
It ran on social media at the beginning of the year. And since then, the calls have kept coming.
鈥淲e're getting a lot of, 鈥極h God, am I too late? I know this is a big deal. Do you have any units left?鈥欌€� Littlefield said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost gone viral.鈥�
She鈥檚 booked rentals at restaurants, , the City of St. Albans and the town of Alburgh 鈥� they鈥檙e hosting a three-day festival with fireworks and a parade.
More from 开云体育: Where will you be for the total solar eclipse? Check out these events around Vermont
Many towns are planning similar events, and the financial boost from visitors spread out in so many places could add up to between $10 million to $20 million, according to state estimates.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 conservative, but it鈥檚 certainly possible we might see that kind of ballpark,鈥� said Heather Pelham, the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing.
The eclipse comes at an opportune time: April typically sees the fewest tourists to Vermont of any month. Last year, visitors spent about $125 million in April, compared to closer to over $250 million in the leaf-peeping days of October.
And all sorts of places are hoping to get in on the action, like a church in Vermont鈥檚 largest city.
鈥淲e created a homestay program where we鈥檝e asked congregants to host basically strangers who are coming here for the eclipse as a fundraiser for the congregation,鈥� said the Rev. Karen G. Johnston, who leads the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington.
On a recent sunny afternoon in the church鈥檚 sanctuary, she was wearing tights covered in stars and a black dress with an image of the moon passing over the sun.
She says the idea for the fundraiser came from a few church members. They , designed a T-shirt, and organized over 20 listings for sale 鈥� ranging from $100 a night for a pullout couch to $1,500 a night for a three-bedroom apartment.
One of those offerings belongs to Mark Kuprych. He runs a short-term rental in his building that sold immediately.
鈥淔or quite a bit of money,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o that will be a tremendous donation to the Society here. And then I said, 鈥榃hat the heck, I鈥檓 going to stay with a friend of mine,鈥� so I rented my own apartment.鈥�
Church members also wanted to participate in the fundraiser to give visitors an opportunity to experience the eclipse. Louis deRosset said that was something he missed out on when an eclipse happened while he was in elementary school in Louisiana.
鈥淭hey made us all stay inside because they didn鈥檛 have eclipse glasses and wanted to keep us safe,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o we stayed inside and watched a TV broadcast of the eclipse while it got dark outside.鈥�
This time around, he鈥檚 excited to see his first total solar eclipse with his family. He hasn鈥檛 decided on where exactly he鈥檒l go yet.
Neither has Kim Littlefield, with the septic company in Isle La Motte.
鈥淔rom what I'm hearing, traffic is going to be jammed,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost being declared as a national holiday.鈥�
She鈥檚 thinking of telling her staff to take the day off, so they also have a chance to "be a part of history."
Have questions, comments or tips? .
More eclipse resources
- See our eclipse liveblog for the latest updates.
- Watch our half-hour educational TV special, "Path to Totality."
- See our interactive map of the eclipse path.
- Plan for road closures around the state.
- Get updates on the weather forecast for Monday.
- Emergency management officials share travel and communication tips.
- Where to find eclipse glasses.
- Learning guides for preK-12 educators.
- Details on our live event in St. Johnsbury and other events around the state.
See all of 开云体育's 2024 eclipse coverage.
