Niagara Falls, N.Y. (WBEN) - As Niagara Falls braces itself for hundreds of thousands of visitors to check out the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, visitors to the Falls can also meet representatives from NASA.
"I guess you could expect us to say we're over the moon, and we are," says Angela Berti of Niagara Falls State Park. She says there's already excitement about the solar eclipse, and NASA's visit only makes things more exciting.
"They'll be doing programming that includes speeches and presentations, we're being told there's going to be some astronauts in town," says Berti. NASA will also send folks to the Niagara Falls Public Libraries, The Underground Railroad Heritage Center, The Aquarium of Niagara, the New York Power Authority Power Vista, and the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute, all free to the public. Berti says everyone's been preparing to keep things safe.
"Everything from our education team putting together programming to our operations team, making sure that everybody that comes here experiences the eclipse in a safe manner, and our park police and our rangers and everybody, we're all working together really as a destination to make sure that this once in a lifetime event is extra special," adds Berti.
Admission will be free at the NYPA's Power Vista, and Lou Paonessa tells WBEN there's excitement over NASA paying a visit. "NASA is going to be at our power vested with programs and presentations and NYPA we'll be supplementing them with some renewable energy and sustainability messages," says Paonessa. He says just NASA itself is a brand that can only enhance what NYPA does in Lewiston.
"We've got a great facility with great exhibits, and then you teamed up with NASA, which obviously has a lot of people excited about when they hear the name NASA and they know they're gonna get something that's high quality," adds Paonessa.
Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora is also excited to see the solar eclipse. Kathleen York says planning and preparations are going for what's being described as the biggest astrological events of our lifetime. "People will not only get a unencumbered view of the eclipse, but they'll also be able to experience a lot of the the other pieces that come along with an eclipse, the wildlife will change for those few minutes during the darkness," says York.
York says this will be a ticketed event, with tickets likely being sold in mid-January. "The event will take place at the stables in Knox and other than just having the actual viewing party were hoping to fill the stables with programming concerning the Eclipse and some STEM programming and some other educational stuff. So this is gonna be a family oriented event," says York.
The eclipse takes place on Monday, April 8.