The number of signers has jumped up to 140, and there are now 7,193 views! Welcome, new Escapaders. When we reach 150 signers, I will follow-up with the community leaders and media outlets I previously contacted regarding this endeavor. This update includes a brief introduction for new Escapaders, followed by a list of the types of people who could join our ranks as Escapaders, that is, become new signers. Please read the list of types below and reach out to Humans of Western New York (or wherever you are.)
New Escapaders, please read, at minimum, my last two updates. The previous update includes an open letter to twenty-six community leaders, and the update before that one includes the list of who these community leaders are. Any additional contact community leaders get regarding this endeavor could help. The updates prior to these two are reflective pieces describing some of the deeper meanings of the Eclipse Escapade; your readership is appreciated. As I frequently reiterate, I am relying on the mysterious might of many minds mustered to magnify our municipality to accommodate the coming umbraphiles. If enough Western New Yorkers plan and strategize in anticipation of the torrent of eclipse-interested tourists that will arrive to our region on April 8 2024, we can be hospitable to all our eclipse-interested guests, and avoid calamitous traffic congestion.
The possibility of the traffic jam of the millennium is not articulated in the original text of the petition. I had not thought of that possibility until Escapader Mark Percy pointed it out to me. Indeed, as I suggested above, all of you, my supporters, are likely to have insights about the potential problems and possible solutions of the coming total solar eclipse. Please offer these insights. I did not mention the East Side specifically in the petition text either, but a focus on that neighborhood makes sense. Aside from all other considerations, the science museum is on the East Side, and they will have programing for the eclipse. Plus, MLK Jr Park would make an excellent viewing area.
Now onto recruiting more signers. Remember, even a view of the petition that does not result in a signing represents an increase of public awareness. Even letting someone know of the salient points of the Escapade represents an increase in awareness. However, having stressed the importance of awareness, more signers will make the petition seem more important to our community leaders and to the media. So, I ask for your help in getting more signers. One very simple thing you can do is donate money. A $25 dollar donation to Change.org to support this petition leads to 625 new people seeing the petition, and these views yield new signers (and, of course, increase awareness.) I do not get any money from the donations; it all goes to Change.org, which is a platform that allows all manner of people to advocate for all manner of changes in our society. So, if you do nothing else, please donate a little money.
Now, here is a list of the type of people to reach out to and to suggest they should join our little on-line posse of Eclipse Escapaders. First, I will provide just the list. Then, I will repeat the list with words of explanation, elaboration, and embellishment – a kind of annotated list of potential Eclipse Escapaders. Given your schedule, you may only have time to read the list and start contacting people. However, reading the annotations could engender ideas for how this endeavor might move ahead. So; if you could please, read the list and then read the list with annotations. I wish to engender as many ideas in your intellect as I might.
List of People Who Could Sign, Should Know About, and Would Help the Eclipse Escapade
1. Community Leaders.
2. Science Nerds.
3. Religious Nuts.
4. Climate Advocates.
5. East Side Advocates.
6. Housing Advocates.
7. Small Business Owners.
8. Big Business Executives.
9. Hardware Stores.
10. Temporary work Agencies.
11. Home renovators.
12. Sports franchise employees.
13. Parks and Recreation employees and clients.
14. Teachers.
15. Employees of the School District.
16. College Students.
17. University Employees.
18. Theaters.
19. Museums.
20. Entertainment Venues.
21. Music Mavens of our Municipality.
22. Yachters and the Yacht Club.
23. Restaurateurs.
24. Local Farmers.
25. Anyone That Has a Parking Lot.
Now, here is the same list again with explanations, elaborations, and embellishments.
1. Community Leaders. The leaders the letter went to, or other leaders, or even just those community movers-and-shakers we all know.
2. Science Nerds. One thing all we science nerds want is proliferation of our species. Solar eclipses tend to increase interest in science, and any endeavor derived from the predictive power of science will lead to greater appreciation of science, which is something that all science nerds want. The Eclipse Escapade is a direct application of the predictive power of science. The physics of the solar system dictates that a total solar eclipse will grace our sky, how the Humans of Western New York respond depends on the determination we might muster.
3. Religious Nuts. The Abrahamic religions promote hospitality, and most religions teach the virtue of compassion. Though the Eclipse Escapade derives from science, the determination necessary to make it happen shall come from the human impetus for place-making, which is a spiritual value. The creation of hostels for eclipse-interested tourists is a righteous endeavor. Stated poetically, we must find ways to make Buffalo welcoming to umbraphiles. Faith communities are ideal organizations to get the word out about the Eclipse Escapade, and can aid in organizing the work that must be done. Let us draw on religious zeal to make the Eclipse Escapade happen.
4. Climate Advocates. Every Big-Brained Biped on Planet Earth should be appropriately panicked about climate change, and the Eclipse Escapade is a place-specific, time-specific model of what climate advocacy is like. As noted, the Eclipse Escapade derives from the predictive power of science, and the same is true of climate advocacy. Furthermore, the strong possibility of a torrent of tourists into our region raises the same question the Big-Brained Bipeds around the globe are raising. Will we have enough room? Will we have enough food and water? Will we have enough fuel? How will we meet the needs of everyone? In addition to the analogy between the Eclipse Escapade and climate advocacy, housing renewal in Buffalo will prepare Buffalo to be a haven for refugees from climate changes, which the mayor has already declared the city of Buffalo should be.
5. East Side Advocates. As noted, while my original petition proposal did not mention the East Side specifically, the East Side would be a good neighborhood to focus on due to the proximity of the science museum and Martin Luther King Jr. Park. On the East Side, I know of the Fruit Belt Coalition, The Fruit Belt Community Land Trust, FLARE, and East Side Avenues. The newly-formed, and in-formation Black Holistic Urbanism Collective is mustering urban planners, architects, and researchers to renew the East Side. This nascent organization appears to be an ideal organization to not only develop a practical plan for housing renewal on the East Side, but also to bring the voice of the East Side community to the Escapade. Please, if you have connections to East Side Advocates, let them know what we are doing. There are probably organizations I don’t know about.
6. Housing Advocates. There are several housing-related non-profits in Buffalo. Belmont Housing Resources, the Matt Urban Center, The Community Action Organization, H.O.M.E., P.U.S.H., and Habitat for Humanity are the ones I can easily list. The Eclipse Escapade looks ahead to one date, April 8, 2024, and to the resplendence and hospitality Buffalo and Erie County might display that day. However, when the sun emerges from behind the moon, it will shine on a city that must continue into the future. Houses renovated to be hostels for eclipse-interested tourists could become affordable housing in the future, and/or they could become homes for refugees, from war or climate change. Every housing advocate in Erie County should be aware of the possibility of the Eclipse Escapade, even if he or she does not become a signer.
7. Small Business Owners. Eclipse weekend will be a weekend like the World’s Fair, or as if Buffalo was hosting the Olympics; we will have a torrent of tourists. Small business owners could make a mint, and the longer we keep umbraphiles in Buffalo, the more money small business owners could make.
8. Big Business Executives. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have both proudly displayed great-interest in spacey-stuff, and both have many employees in our region. Improved housing opportunities in Buffalo could provide homes close to work for Tesla and Amazon employees, reducing their commute time. Tesla could conceivably build a solar-panel array to display their efficacy, perhaps on the roof of the Commodore-Perry apartments. Tesla could also build charging stations for electric cars. Amazon could sell eclipse-shade glasses and other eclipse-related “merch.” Delaware North should be inherently interested in an endeavor that directly concerns hospitality, and furthermore, since they operate thruway food-and-fuel stations, and since these could be overwhelmed by tourist-related traffic the evening of eclipse days, the hospitality company has an interest in making Erie County ready for the eclipse. Douglas Development, while they don’t own houses at the moment, has shown itself to be a company interested in rebuilding Buffalo. Finally, I must bring up Brian Chesky, the billionaire co-founder of AirBnB. I know that many Western New Yorkers are dubious of AirBnB. Consider that Chesky is a native New Yorker, and probably has regard for his home state. AirBnB could provide a way for umbraphiles to be matched with home-owners, or house stewards, in Buffalo, and that the company could provide a way for hosts of eclipse tourists to receive compensation. Also keep in mind that the total solar eclipse represents a one-time event that will not be repeated in multiple lifetimes. Chesky looks to me like a potential investor in the Eclipse Escapade. Whatever contacts you might have among the deep-pocketed companies in our region, please reach out to them concerning the Eclipse Escapade.
9. Hardware Stores. It should be pretty obvious that hardware stores will get to sell a lot of tools and building supplies if we have a renovation blitz before the eclipse. Maybe there could be an Eclipse Escapade Coupon Book distributed by hardware stores as a fundraiser?
10. Temporary work Agencies. The nature of the Eclipse Escapade entails that it should create a lot of temporary jobs, and major shot-in-the-arm to the local economy. Let’s embrace this possibility. Every given patch of real estate on Planet Earth only gets a total solar-eclipse every three-to-four centuries, and our region should make the most of it.
11. Home Renovators. I googled “home renovating companies in Western New York” one day and found eleven of them; there may be more. A blitz to renovate our home before the eclipse could create a lot of business for them.
12. Sports Franchise Employees. Any activity to keep umbraphiles off the road the evening of April 8 2024 will mitigate the traffic congestion that night – why not have our umbraphiles enjoy a game? Furthermore, imagine if the Bisons Stadium were having special games, or maybe concerts, the night of the eclipse, and umbraphiles could watch the eclipse from within the stadium. They would have a place to sit, restrooms available, and hopefully ballpark food and beverages. Finally, as Escapader John Szalasny pointed out, if the Bills go to the Superbowl next February, wouldn’t that be the ideal show on which to advertise Buffalo as a destination city for the 2024 total solar eclipse? Let’s use the Superbowl as a way to attract umbraphiles!
13. Parks and Recreation Employees and Clients. The Beautiful Olmstead Parks in our region, along with the waterfronts, are bound to be good places to watch the eclipse. One unique feature of our region is that umbraphiles could have a chance to view the eclipse over the water, making an already unique experience all the more special. Parks and Recreation should muster the food trucks and prepare the port-a-potties.
14. Teachers. Any endeavor that broadens the minds of students shall be deemed valuable in the minds of teachers, and the Eclipse Escapade will, in addition to creating awareness of the solar system, will create an event during which residents of our region will meet those from other cities and Canada. The Eclipse Escapade is bound to be broadening of young minds. Let’s let our teachers know about it! Plus, as Escapader John Szalasny pointed out in one of his excellent essays for Buffalo Rising, maybe that Monday should be a day off. Maybe that Tuesday should be a day off, too. We could still have a lot of tourists leaving the city on that Tuesday, indeed, one goal of the Escapade is to stretch out the exodus of the umbraphiles over a couple of days.
15. Employees of the School District. As noted above, maybe April 8 2024 should be a school holiday. The total solar eclipse will happen right when students are getting out of school. Having everybody outside looking up at the sun with blinding eclipse glasses on is not a safe set of circumstances for busses to be transporting children in. Afterschool programs should be made aware of the safety concerns as well. It might be good for the following Tuesday to be a day off as well, because we could still have a torrent of tourists enjoying our region, and gradually driving out.
16. College Students. The Eclipse Escapade should create engaging, albeit temporary, work for college students. Hostels for eclipse-tourists will require hosts, and, since the city and county own so many vacant properties, not all of the hosts will be homeowners of the properties. Playing host for an eclipse-tourist would be interesting employment arising from this very distinct astronomical moment we are in, a chance to meet adventurous people from a different city, and a chance to be a part of a monumental endeavor in Western New York. Even if a college student is not interested in seeking employment from the Escapade, the endeavor will certainly intrigue them. College students today are interested in science and are interested in societal improvement – and I reckon the Eclipse Escapade will enflame their enthusiasm.
17. University Employees. Administrators and faculty at colleges should be aware of the potential for student employment just as much as students should. Furthermore, the weekend of the total solar eclipse represents the ideal recruiting weekend for new college students. People willing to travel to witness a total solar eclipse must be ambitious, curious, and have the monetary means and planning capacity to take such an adventure. Families with these virtues tend to produce high school graduates with these virtues. And these virtues are exactly what colleges seek from their students. Thus, the total solar eclipse will bring just the right types of families to Erie County from which colleges might gain new students. To reiterate, eclipse weekend will be the ideal recruiting weekend for local colleges.
18. Theaters. The high-quality theater performances and the great talent of local performers are one of the greatest features of our region. Let us let our guests from the surrounding cities know about our dramatic artistry! Other than the resplendence of Western New York that would arise from a display of the dramatic arts of Buffalo, we must consider the practical matter of the exodus of umbraphiles from Buffalo the evening of that April 8th. Think about what the highway is like on a Bill’s game Sunday, and then multiply that by five, or even more. Think of what the bridges to Canada are like even on an ordinary day at rush hour, and then try to imagine what it could be like the evening of eclipse day. Now consider that every patron sitting in a Western New York theater is one less traveler on the highway. Doubtlessly, sitting in a theater and watching a tour de force of a performance is a much more commodious situation than sitting in the traffic jam of the millennium. However, there is one adjustment to normalcy that theater producers will have to make on eclipse day. Generally, theaters are closed on Monday nights. For the utterly unique occurrence of a total solar eclipse over Buffalo, they should stay open. Let the show in the sky promote special shows on the stage.
19. Museums. We have fine museums in our region, including the Darwin Martin House, Graycliff, and the Buffalo Religious Arts Center. These should stay open late for our guests on total solar eclipse day, so that citizens of the surrounding cities might experience the high culture of our region.
20. Entertainment Venues. In addition to the theaters mentioned above, Western New York has a cornucopia of other entertainment venues. We have the Sportsmen’s Tavern, ComedySportz, and high-quality Sports Bars. We have the Colored Musician’s Club, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the West Falls Center for the Arts. There is no shortage of entertainments for our eclipse-interested guests to patronize while they are here – so long as they can find a place to stay.
21. Music Mavens of our Municipality. The original rock anthem “Eclipsecstatic,” co-composed by Melissa Kate and me, is a song for our place, from our time, composed by local artists, recorded by local musicians, and set down in a local studio. “Eclipsecstatic” is a product of Western New Yorkers recognizing themselves as citizens of the solar system. Those who celebrate the musical talent of our region should be enchanted by it. Let’s get it out there!
22. Yachters and the Yacht Club. What’s all this about boats? Look at the eclipse map. If you look at the line representing the passing of the moon’s shadow across our region, you will note that much of it transverses over water – over Lake Erie. It would doubtlessly be a wonderful experience to watch the total solar eclipse while sailing on Lake Erie. Maybe a guest to our city, or even a citizen of Western New York, might pay to be taken out on the water at the right time. The Yachters of our region might earn money by making the already unique experience of witnessing an eclipse all the more exceptional by facilitating an eclipse witnessing while sailing. Furthermore, the yacht club itself could host an eclipse-viewing party, and witnesses could watch the total solar eclipse over the water. Let’s make our yachters aware of the potential presented by pilgrims to view the eclipse from other shores.
23. Restaurateurs. When my family went to view the total solar eclipse in Colombia, South Carolina, the restaurant we went to that evening ran out of food before we could be served. We got free drinks, so it is all good. But let the restaurant owners of our region take note – they will need extra food the evening of April 8 2024. Extra drinks, too. Furthermore, remember that any improvements that happen in a neighborhood as a result of the Eclipse Escapade will lead to long-term increases of business at the dining establishments in that neighborhood.
24. Local Farmers. It may seem odd to include farmers in a list of types of people that would be interested in a coming eclipse. Just consider what I wrote directly above, that restaurants could run out of food due to the influx of umbraphiles. If, next summer, farmers planted especially large crops of produce that could be preserved during the winter of 2023, then there would be that much more food (locally produced) available for the restaurants available the following April. If farmers plan now to do agriculture anticipating eclipse day two winters from now, and restaurateurs know about these future crops, our region could have a boom in the local agro-economy. Then when spring of 2024 arrives, farmers might decide to keep their fields fallow to rest them after the bumper crop of 2023. These fields would be excellent places for eclipse witnesses to watch the eclipse. Indeed, even if farmers choose not to keep their fields fallow, the planting season in Buffalo does not start until mid-April, after the eclipse. Thus, fields could still be viewing-places. Now, about urban farming. Buffalo has a growing movement of urban-farming, which is bound to make Buffalo into a very distinct place, a hybrid of ruralism and urbanism. The weekend of the eclipse would be an excellent time to display the radical movement of urban farming. Let’s get our local farmers interested in the coming of the umbraphiles!
25. Anyone That Has a Parking Lot. Imagine if auto-dealers, faith-communities, stores, the Bills Stadium, schools, etc. all had their parking lots open for eclipse viewing that day. It might even be possible to view the eclipse from a warm place inside a vehicle. Could there be a special, translucent cover to place on a windshield so one might watch the eclipse without wearing eye protection? Could auto-dealers place eclipse-witnesses inside cars that are for sale? I don’t know, but regardless, parking lots are bound to be good places from which to watch the eclipse. People that have control of parking lots should be aware of the coming eclipse. And this is a good place to park my brainstorming.
So, here is a list of twenty-five types of people could sign, should know about, and would help the Eclipse Escapade. No doubt many of you can think of more. I will do my best to contact each of the twenty-five types. If, on average, each of you contacts five people, these contacts will make 700 more people aware of the Eclipse Escapade. If only 1.5% of these become new signers, we will have over 150 signers, and I will re-contact the community leaders and media outlets I previously contacted.
Let’s get more people in our Eclipse Escapade posse.