The upcoming solar eclipse has excited many amateur astronomers, and savvy small businesses are taking advantage of the opportunity. The eclipse is going to cover a large swath of mainland America, and farmers are preparing by opening their fields and hosting festivals and viewing parties, reports Marketplace.
“We’re going to have meals, live music, we’re going to have a dance floor set up, a bouncy house, a water slide,” said Christina Carpenter, co-owner of Organic Earthly Delights in Madras, according to Marketplace.
Carpenter’s co-owner and partner Grant Putnam told Marketplace that he hopes their business will double its income due to the eclipse festival.
Central Oregon is a prime viewing location for the solar eclipse with clear skies and close proximity to the epicenter of the eclipse. Jefferson, Mill City, and Madras all fall within NASA’s predicted path of the eclipse, and residents and visitors will witness a near total eclipse.
Some estimates suggest up to a million visitors will head to Oregon to watch the eclipse. “It’s definitely a once in a lifetime thing for us,” said small business owner Angie Ludi, according to Marketplace. Her boutique, The White Buffalo, is stocked full of eclipse themed souvenirs to cater to the incoming crowd.
