Fairfield preparing for eclipse events and possible surge in visitors
FAIRFIELD, Ill. (WFIE) - We are less than two months away from the total solar eclipse which will move across much of the Tri-State.
Many communities and organizations are preparing eclipse events, including small towns, which also face the challenge of meeting the needs of a possible surge in visitors.
Fairfield is well-positioned to benefit from the eclipse. Not only will they have their own visitors, but city officials expect visitors to nearby, smaller towns to take advantage of their restaurants and motels.
”It’s a great opportunity to feature our town, feature our businesses; but at the same time it’s a whole new set of worries, problems, however you may look at it,” said Wayne County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director and Fairfield Head of Area Development Libby Lingafelter.
For a business like Save A Lot, there are benefits and challenges.
They expect a lot of sales in the store because of the event, including from a range of custom Fairfield eclipse merchandise.
The problem is the city doesn’t know exactly how many people will visit. They say some sources say to expect around 20,000, others say they won’t have much more than the population of their city.
”It complicates it many, many times over because you just have no idea what to order, so our goal is just things that are maybe non-perishable,” said Fairfield Save A Lot Store Manager Tyler Lampley.
Fairfield has the Wayne County Fairgrounds near the center of town, and in the weekend leading up to the eclipse, they plan to use it for concerts, camping, food vendors, a craft fair, and more.
They say events in other cities are starting on Saturday, so they’re starting their events on Friday with a concert.
Then they’ll have fun downtown Saturday and a family day at the park on Sunday. Monday will mostly be about dealing with eclipse traffic.
”You just don’t know what to expect, so hopefully it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we’ll wait and see,” said Lingafelter. “We’re excited about it, excited for the opportunity to have lots of people come and enjoy our community.”
For more information on everything that Fairfield has planned for the eclipse, visit facebook.com/solareclipsefairfield.
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