Dear Supporters;  

I know several times now, I have reported that I am working on a letter to our politicians and community leaders in light of the fact that there are now more than 100 of you.  This letter is still a work-in-progress.  My father told me once that I am a perfectionist, and perhaps the imperfection of perfectionism is an impediment on my progress in penning this piece for our policy-makers.  Plus, I am employed by the Community Action Organization and have been busy, among other activities, preparing STEM-related talks for after-school programs.  Yes, I have told the few students I have about the coming eclipse, and I have shared the rock-anthem "Eclipsecstatic" with them, and they were excited.  I am also a father myself, a single father, in fact, and my daddy duties always take up part of my day.  Nevertheless, the letter is coming along, and I appreciate your patience in waiting on it.  Trust me, one fact of physics is constantly on my mind; the sun and the moon won't wait for us. 

Please note before I continue, the Community Action Organization has not sponsored the Eclipse Escapade, nor endorsed it.  In fact, other than you, my signers, I have no sponsors and no endorsers, though I do have the most important of all allies, my personal friends.  Basically, I am one dude with an idea, and you, the Eclipse Escapaders, are the few, the happy few, supporters of the Eclipse Escapade.  Please continue to ponder this endeavor, and, within whatever sphere of influence you possess, find ways to ready our county for this rarest of all astronomical events.  Shares of the petition and the rock-anthem "Eclipsecstatic" are always appreciated.     

Here is an excerpt of the upcoming letter for our community leaders concerning the economic activity that might occur in our community on account of the eclipse.  Under the theory that money talks, we should keep these monetary incentives in mind.  Many Western New Yorkers have been waiting a long time for the universe to throw us a bone.  Well, now the physics of the solar system are about to cast a shadow on us.  Let's light up Western New York however we might! 

/// Generally, Win/Win possibilities don't simply fall from the sky, and I know it must sound mystical and a tad absurd for me to assert that we have a such a solution "from the sky."  However, the physics of the solar system really are presenting us with a once-in-a-lifetime impetus and an opportunity for a great Win/Win.  I am referring, of course, to the coming total solar eclipse over Western New York.  This coming eclipse will occur less than seven years after the last American Great Eclipse, which was in 2017.  The memories of that last eclipse are still fresh in the minds of many, even most Americans.  Those who witnessed the last eclipse in totality will wish to repeat the experience, and those who saw the eclipse at least in partiality (numbering about 216 million) will have heard what an ethereal experience totality is, if they did not experience it in person.  All this eclipse-interest in our nation is bound to inspire many to travel places where totality might be witnessed.  Western New York is one of these fortunate places.  Of course, Western New York should be hospitable to and resplendent for the guests that will come to our city to witness the wonder of the eclipse, just because it is virtuous to do so. We should also be mindful of the economic sky-fall this rarest of all astronomical events presents.  Stated colloquially, we should cash in on the eclipse.  Consider that, merely to witness a two minute, thirty-six second sky show in 2017, about 1.6 million people traveled to or within the State of South Carolina.  This travel generated $269 million in economic impact for the state.  Similarly, nearly 192,000 people traveled to Wyoming to view the 2017 eclipse, bringing in an estimated $63.5 million.  Totality will be visible all over Erie County.  And it is appropriate that Erie County should band together to get prepare for the influx of umbraphiles (that is, eclipse-chasing tourists.)  Since the 2017 eclipse represented such an economic sky-fall for the fortunate places the moon’s shadow was cast upon, we have grounds for optimism the coming moon-shadow will spur the economy here.////

Keep Anticipating the Eclipse;

Fred Harold Jensen