After the eclipse: Chester businesses and organizers take stock of event's impact

City officials are calculating its effect on local sales tax receipts, and results will take awhile, but Chester businesses have reported overall good results from the Aug. 21 solar eclipse.

Mayor Tom Page has previously estimated between 10,000 to 15,000 people visited Chester to view the celestial phenomenon, which had 2 minutes and 40 seconds of totality in the city.

"I think it went really well," said Randolph County Sheriff Shannon Wolff. "I want to commend everybody that participated in the planning.

"They all did a great job and I think it went off without a hitch."

City, county and state law enforcement were out in force to handle the traffic, with bumper-to-bumper traffic on State Street after the eclipse. Wolff and many others have complimented city officials, particularly Recreation Director Patti Carter, for how well the eclipse was handled.

"Man, they did a fabulous job," Wolff said. "They did a really great job. I probably had six to eight people stop me or make conversation with me while I was working and stated how impressed they were with how well it was organized."

Carter complimented her fellow city officials and staff, local law enforcement, emergency management personnel and others who helped plan the city's observation of the eclipse.

"I think it went wonderfully," she said. "We didn't really have anything like what we expected.

"The staff was phenomenal, the business owners. Everyone talked about how welcoming the town was."

Crowds swelled at the riverfront and extended east to the Randolph County Courthouse block. Eclipse viewers also staged at the Chester Public Library, which was one of the designated cooling centers for those seeking refuge from the sweltering heat, and Gazebo Park at the three-way stop.

The Cohen Complex and Chester Welcome Center were sold out in advance of the event.

"Monday, they overran us," said Jodie's Ol' Farmhouse and Bakery owner Jodie Mehrer. "We had a line waiting at 7 a.m."

Mehrer estimated that 95 percent of her customers were out-of-towners as most city residents appeared to heed the warnings of potential gridlock and stayed home.

Along State Route 3, Barb's Bounty did brisk business on eclipse day. The business also sold parking spaces for $10 each, and Barb's Bounty owner Barb Bierman told the Herald Tribune that between 50 and 60 cars parked at her restaurant.

"I was very, very busy," she said. "No locals, all out-of-towners."

Bierman said she had customers from Wisconsin, Chicago, Indiana and a variety of other places.

"We feel we have made a whole bunch of new friends and they said they'll see us in seven years," she said.

In Camptown, Reids' Harvest House co-owner Brad Reid stated business was "steady" for the eclipse, but like the other restaurants, the clientele wasn't local. Reids' isn't normally open on Mondays, but opened for the event.

"I was afraid (business) would die off on Monday evening, but it stayed steady," he said. "I think it was worth staying open."

Uptown, Spinach Can Collectibles co-owner Debbie Brooks reported people were trickling in throughout the weekend leading up to the eclipse, with a busy day on eclipse day.

"A lot of people were surprised that this is the home of Popeye," she said. "We had people from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France and England."

Overall, the city did well despite not knowing what to expect coming in.

"When we started this journey, there were so many naysayers and through this whole year, I've watched people slowly getting excited about it," Carter said. "It brought so many people together to make things happen and strangers were sitting together during the event."

In the days following the eclipse, there wasn't much rest for city and tourism officials as the American Queen riverboat made a visit on Tuesday, the Queen of the Mississippi visited on Thursday and the American Queen's sister ship, the American Duchess, made her first visit to Chester on Sunday.

"Four (Chester City Council) aldermen volunteered to help the Tourism Commission and Eclipse Committee," Carter said. "We're all kinda dragging, but they just keep going."