LIMA, OH (WLIO) - In a matter of days, Lima and surrounding areas will be filled with visitors and residents eager to experience the total solar eclipse. While there will be measures taken to ensure safety, there will also be an opportunity to experience Lima and all it has to offer.
The clock has been ticking for the day of the total solar eclipse on April 8th. Local businesses and city officials have ramped up preparations for the visitors we will see in our area. And as the clock gets closer to hitting zero, some businesses have more on their plate than others, such as hotels. Thinking of booking a room somewhere in Lima? That clock might have already run out.
"I think we had our first reservations roll through for this weekend in particular back at the beginning of March of 2023, so even more than a year in advance, which is something that we never see anything like that, so it's been very interesting. Especially, I'd say, the last four or five months, we've been really heavy with the reservations. We're now sold out, I think, along with just about every other hotel in town, which is awesome. We've had a lot of people coming up from North Carolina, Tennessee, a lot of people coming down from Michigan into this area, so that's probably the farthest that I've seen," said Jessica Logan, general manager of the Howard Johnson in Lima.
Hotels aren't the only place people are looking to set up for the eclipse. The Allen County Fairgrounds has been busy preparing, and with such a large space, it has the ability to host a large crowd of people who can't go the route of hotels.
"Where we've seen an influx is in the last couple of weeks. We've been receiving lots of calls from people out of state that are wanting to just come to town for the day and kind of find a place to park to watch the eclipse, so on Monday, April 8th, we're going to open our exterior parking lots at 7 a.m., and essentially, we're going to charge ten dollars per car. And then once that car is parked, the individual will be able to walk through our gates, come onto the grounds, buy food from a couple of the food vendors we're going to have on the property, and then find a spot to watch the eclipse from there," stated Troy Elwer, promotions and operations manager of the Allen County Fairgrounds.
While an influx of visitors means more traffic and limited resources, it also presents the opportunity to showcase Lima and what our small corner of the state has to offer folks from out of town.
"Of course our Allen County Museum, which is noted as one of the best county museums in the state of Ohio. There will be an event on top of the parking garage, ArtSpace/Lima on eclipse day is having an event. On the weekend, there's a whole slew of other activities going on all around the county. You see our bustling downtown, which has really had a resurgence over the last few years. To restaurants and things to even have events or things going on, but there's a lot to see and do," explained Christine Pleva, executive director of Visit Greater Lima.
The clock is almost out on our total solar eclipse countdown, and it's almost time to give visitors a once-in-a-lifetime memory when the sun and moon align!
For more information and coverage on the April 8th Eclipse, visit https://www.hometownstations.com/news/2024_solar_eclipse/.
