The town of Rutland in New York had the chance to benefit from the eclipse, drawing visitors from all over the world. Meme’s Diner in Rutland had a food truck at Thompson Park for Watertown’s “Total Eclipse of the Park” event. Although it was a busy weekend, it was not as hectic as anticipated. Owner Brandy Snyder mentioned that it was the smoothest event they had attended, despite not reaching the expected crowd size.
The park saw around 6,000 to 7,000 visitors, resulting in less business than restaurants had hoped for. Meme’s Diner decided to donate their leftover food to Citizen Advocates in Watertown to feed patients and staff. Good Eaton’s BBQ food truck also faced challenges in keeping up with demand. Despite the lower than expected turnout, vendors were pleased with how smoothly the event went.
Watertown Mayor Sarah Pierce recognized the efforts businesses put into planning for the event and commended their resilience in facing lower-than-expected turnout. Although many vendors lost out on potential customers due to low foot traffic in Public Square, many were able to freeze their products and save them for future use. Overall, while businesses may have hoped for more financial success from the eclipse event, many considered it a valuable experience nonetheless and were able to adapt and make the best of it.
