When the Boston Globe says youre the best bet for eclipse viewing destinations, youd better be ready

When the Boston Globe says you’re “the best bet” for eclipse viewing destinations, you’d better be ready. And officials in St. Johnsbury hope to be ready when thousands of people come to experience the eclipse on April 8. Gillian Sewake, the director of Discover St. Johnsbury, said she has been working with community partners on parking, public safety, and amenities ahead of the influx of eclipse viewers. She estimates between 5,000 and 10,000 people could come to town. Within the swath of totality, St. Johnsbury is a good place to experience the eclipse. It’s also the location of Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, which is planning a “Sun+Moon+YOU” event. With good reason, Sewake said, it was expected that St. Johnsbury would see a solid number of visitors coming to enjoy the eclipse, but when the Boston Globe pointed people to the town earlier this month in a top five drivable spots to view the eclipse listing, visitor number estimates have jumped by thousands. The Boston Globe said  “In terms of significant towns, St. Johnsbury is your best best,” and now officials are scrambling to support a much larger crowd.  Several parking areas in the village have been identified, and a map for visitors was produced by Discover St. Johnsbury. Eight lots are on the map, with six of them offering porta-potties. There’s no way of knowing just how many thousands of people will visit the town, and the volume could depend on the weather forecast, but officials are preparing for a lot of people and they say they’ll be ready.