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solar eclipse

Can't wait to GeneSEE the Eclipse? The countdown has begun to April 8, 2024

By Joanne Beck

Dark times, they are a-coming.

For three minutes and 42 seconds, reportedly one of the rarest and most spectacular events in nature, the sky will become dark as deep twilight, as bright stars and planets take over the sky stage, and the sun’s fiery outer atmosphere plays lead character against the moon’s silhouette.

And Genesee County officials — planning a full year out, to the day — want to make sure that nobody misses a moment of it. So do be sure to GeneSEE the Eclipse. The Chamber of Commerce has organized a team to ensure that all points are covered, and members launched an event logo and outline for the total solar eclipse set to pass through this county on April 8, 2024.

“Rest assured, Genesee County governments and local municipalities are also going to be preparing. I want to make sure that I emphasize that there will be safety considerations taken into account,” County Manager Matt Landers said Tuesday at chamber headquarters on Park Road in Batavia. “As (County Legislative Chairwoman Shelley Stein and Chamber President Brian Cousine) were saying, there's going to be hundreds of thousands of individuals coming into our community in the GLOW region around the time of the next eclipse, and that can be a little daunting.

“But the planning efforts are in place, the local law enforcement from all levels will be taking part. This is also a great opportunity for our local schools and educators to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime event. So I'm glad that we've reached out and have some communications with some of the local school districts. And I've spoken to some local school administrators, and I know that they are already reaching out to their science departments and making sure that we take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. “Things like extending spring break one extra day to ensure that there aren't school buses down the roads during the event was a great idea. And I'm glad that it looks like all of our schools are going to be closed so that the kids can fully enjoy this day and not be on the roads at the same time.”

County management, Emergency Management, highway departments and local municipalities are already having kickoff planning meetings to ensure that the roads are safe, Landers said. They all, of course, want to make sure that “we make this as fun of an experience as possible” while keeping public safety in mind.

Speaking of fun, team consultant Glenn Clark reached out to artist and high school art teacher Andy Reddout to create the visual for the campaign. He knew that agriculture is huge in Genesee County and that this was for the total solar eclipse. The final creation is a smiling black-and-white Holstein cow named Genny, standing in front of the outer frame of a large orange eclipsed sun, with a row of small businesses lined up in front of it. No worries, Genny is wearing ISO-certified solar glasses to be able to enjoy the view.

Tuesday’s event included a commemorative poster, the branded solar glasses, custom decorated cake, a champagne toast, and an unveiling of the artist's illustration, paired with the tagline “See it where the skies are darker.”

It is believed that Genesee County, with all of its quaint and rural trappings, will be a draw for spectators, given its low volume of tall buildings, bright lights and obstructions to the phenomenon that won’t return for another 126 years.

Glenn Clark, a consultant with Crafting a Brand from Mendon, wanted to build momentum, so he asked audience members to close their eyes. He then name-dropped three iconic brands: Smokey the Bear, the Pillsbury Doughboy and Tony the Tiger.

“I’ll bet if I asked each and every one of you to tell me what you thought of, you'd all come up with the same thing. That's how branding works. And we've created a visual brand that we're going to unveil here in just a moment that people are going to remember, now through April 8, and beyond,” Clark said. “And it's fun. It's iconic. Most of all, it's memorable. People are going to talk about this. And they're going to say one thing over and over again … So this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create something that people will remember that we're going to be able to use for the next year. But more importantly, for decades to come. I think that this will show up for decades.”

Katy Hobbs, a Chamber staff member part of the teams for Genesee the Eclipse, said that plans are in place to provide activities for a three-day weekend before and up to the actual big event. Beginning April 5, there are to be special events, celebrations and eclipse-themed foods for residents and visitors alike, she said.

This isn’t just a Chamber event, but something that can involve businesses and residents, she said.

“We are thrilled to see the tremendous local enthusiasm thus far, our team has been actively brainstorming ways to make this experience unforgettable. The chamber will host monthly stakeholder Zoom meetings on the third Tuesday beginning April 18. Each month will focus on a different topic related to the Eclipse, such as finding the best viewing spot and brainstorming ideas for local businesses to promote the total eclipse,” she said. “We’ll be collaborating with local businesses, event organizers and club organizations. Some local businesses have already started initial Eclipse plans, which may include science and nature programming, viewing parties and art historical events. Apart from our Zoom meetings, we also will be establishing a Facebook event as a hub for updates and sharing. Please join us and be a part of the excitement.”

For more information, go to Geneseetheeclipse.com.

Genesee County Chamber of Commerce and government officials, sporting their certified solar eclipse glasses, launched the kick off for a 2024 total solar eclipse Tuesday at chamber headquarters in Batavia. Top Photo shows County Legislature Chairwoman Shelley Stein holding the custom decorated cake with chamber staff Kelly Rapone and President Brian Cousins in front; artist Andy Reddout, left, and  consultant Glenn Clark unveil the artwork for the three-day celebration next year featuring Genny the cow and GeneSEE the Eclipse tagline; Shelley Stein cuts the cake for visitors that attended the kickoff as County Manager Matt Landers and Chamber President Brian Cousins watch; and above, Katy Hobbs, chamber membership and marketing director, shares initiatives the team will be working on in the coming months. Photos by Joanne Beck.

Photo: Solar eclipse

By Howard B. Owens

John Huenemoerder, of Pavilion, shared this photo he took on Walker Road of yesterday morning's solar eclipse.

Get the look: Richmond library to give out 1,000 of NASA's solar-eclipse-viewing safety glasses

By Billie Owens
Submitted photo: Ronnie Scroger, age 6, and his mother, Tracey Cook, join library employees Marie Barcomb and Bob Conrad to model the safety glasses that will be available at Richmond Library programs Aug. 14 to 21.
 
Press release:
 
Due to heavy regional interest, the Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia will begin distribution of a limited supply of solar eclipse-viewing safety glasses at library eclipse-themed family programs already scheduled for Aug. 14th, 16th, and 18th.
 
The remainder of glasses will be distributed on a first-come basis at an eclipse-viewing lawn party hosted by the library on the afternoon of Aug. 21, after a brief safety demonstration.
 
"We got a thousand pairs of these glasses from NASA," Library Director Bob Conrad explained. "But under the terms of their grant, we can only distribute them after a safety demonstration that's a part of our summer reading program.
 
"Originally, those demonstrations were all going to be on the afternoon of August 21st, during the eclipse. But we're getting so many calls from people who don't live here or who are traveling for the eclipse, that we decided to start distribution early by including the safety demo at all of next week's family programs."
 

Those programs include a library craft project at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 14th ("Make a Sun Magnet"); a cooking program at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 16th ("Make and Eat Your Own Moon Pies"); and a movie to be screened at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 21st (the 2015 animated DreamWorks feature "Home").

"I guess we couldn't afford the rights to 'Space Jam,' " Conrad joked.

The programs are billed For All Ages, but registration is recommended to guarantee a space. Register on the library's website at batavialibrary.org, or by calling the Children's Room at 343-9550.

According to an interactive map published by NASA's educational outreach website (eclipse2017.nasa.gov/libraries), Batavia's public library is the only one in a five-county region surrounding Buffalo to participate in the educational program, along with libraries in the Rochester area, Jamestown and Geneseo.

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