The photo is of a two-dollar bill commemorating the 2017 eclipse.  Yet another reason to hold onto those two dollar bills!  We can trust that many, even most, Americans, will remember the 2017 eclipse.  About 216 million viewed the last solar eclipse, and it was worthy enough to be alongside the author of the Declaration of Independence on the two dollar bill.  Let's make the 2024 eclipse a declaration that the Big-Brained Bipeds of Buffalo are citizens of the solar system!  

I made a few good connections last week.  I walked into a networking meeting of professionals in the tourist industry in Buffalo, and was able to have face-to-face conversations with Patrick Gallivan, my New York State senator, and another Patrick, Patrick Kaler, who heads up Visit Buffalo Niagara.  Two Patricks in one cocktail party!  The name "Patrick" is not only the name of my favorite Saint, it is also a name meaning "noble."  I am confident these face-to-face conversations helped to push the Eclipse Escapade ahead.  By the way, in case anyone wonders, I have NO connection to any tourist industry.  When I walked into that networking meeting, I was pretty much a party-crasher.  But I knew I needed to do what I could to spread the word.  Please, be bold in approaching community leaders, and whatever "saints" you know, to talk about the Eclipse Escapade, the anthem "Eclipsecstatic," and the petition.  I am working on my letter to local politicians and other community leaders.  But, the brute reality I must deal with daily is that I am just one dude with an idea.  (And I told them that at the cocktail party.)  You, the supporters of the Eclipse Escapade, will have your own contacts with movers-and-shakers.  You can even BE a mover-and-shaker, if, for nothing else, for the Eclipse Escapade.  I can contact politicians and the media, but my voice can only ring so loud.  Your help in spreading the word about the Eclipse Escapade is necessary.  Please help me with the Eclipse Escapade.

My letter to local politicians and other community leaders is already over six pages long.  I don't think it will get much longer than that, but I am being thorough.  I must try to anticipate their objections, and offer suggestions.  Please offer your own suggestions, and think of ways that it really might be possible for the Eclipse Escapade to actually happen.  And please, talk to people, share the anthem, and share the petition.  

I also sent a Facebook message to the Black Holistic Urbanism Collective on Facebook, after I heard their leadership speak on "What's Next Buffalo" on NPR.  BHU has a direct connection to the East Side.  According to their Facebook page, they consist of "A collective of BIPOC researchers, architects, engineers, and urban planners, that centers mobility justice, racial justice and equity, in order to rebuild, redesign and reclaim the public spaces of BIPOC communities in Buffalo and WNY."  They are a nascent organization, but I believe they could be the ideal organization to bring together the talent and passion to bring the right kind of renewal to the East Side.  I have not heard back from them.  If anyone of you knows anyone who is connected to Black Holistic Urbanism, please reach out to them on behalf of the Eclipse Escapade.  

One obvious question is, "How are we to pay for it?" I have already put forth the idea that the county could offer tax credits to citizen investors in the Eclipse Escapade.  In order for this endeavor to be as grand as it can be, I think we should try to get some of the people with deep pockets invested as well.  I have drafted a paragraph for my letter to community leaders suggesting whom we might approach.  I offer it here for your consideration.

///Of course, even with crowd-sourced funding from citizen investors across Western New York, the high levels of capital necessary to enact the escapade might seem prohibitive.  I suggest we approach the big-players in our region and appeal to their enlightened self-interests to be payers for the Eclipse Escapade.  Delaware North is in the hospitality business, and faces the practical concern that their food service locations, Thruway service areas, and other venues could be overwhelmed by the torrent of tourists.  Douglas Development, while not owning houses at present, has shown itself to be a committed developer in Buffalo.  Tops Markets has an immediate interest in being concerned for the Jefferson Avenue neighborhood.  The sports franchises could host special games or other events in their arenas, and the restaurateurs could have full houses (the restaurant I went to in Colombia ran out of food before they could serve us.  We got free drinks though, so it was all good.)  Our colleges and universities will have an ideal day to recruit students, and perhaps college students could have temporary jobs playing host for eclipse pilgrims.   Tesla (whose C.E.O. is known to love spacey-stuff) could display their solar panels and electric cars, and might even install panels and charging stations in the village for eclipse tourists.  I would even strongly suggest we reach out to Brian Chesky, C.E.O. of AirBnB and native of New York State, who get much business from the Eclipse Escapade, if our plan allows it.  All these entities represent a possible source of capital for the Eclipse Escapade.  As for cutting costs, if we renovated houses already owned by the city and the county, there would be no need for these to be purchased upfront (but they could be sold to private citizens later).  Furthermore, the non-profit Buffalo Reuse, and the for-profit Buffalo Reuse Action, can provide high-quality salvaged material from deconstructed houses to contribute to the material needs of the renovations.  Local hardware and building materials stores could sell a coupon book to help enable those specifically interested in the escapade to get the tools and materials they need.  These are the money-gathering and money-saving proposals that I tentatively put forward.  Doubtlessly, the mysterious might of many minds mustered toward the magnification of our municipalities can find other monetary measures to make us domiciles for umbraphiles.///

Please tell me what you think, and offer other ways to make the Eclipse Escapade monetarily feasible.