Eclipse tourism is an economic bright spot for small towns in the path of totality

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• John Yang:

  Tomorrow the moon will slip between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow that will cut across North America from Mazatlan on Mexico's Pacific Coast to Newfoundland on Canada's Atlantic coast. Communities along that path hope it will be a bright spot for hotels, restaurants and gas stations, as people flocked to them to experience this rare event.

  By some estimates, eclipse tourism could generate as much as a billion and a half dollars. One place that's drawing attention is Oklahoma. And that's where communities reporter Adam Kemp is based. Adam where in Oklahoma will a total eclipse be seen.

• Adam Kemp:

  Totality will cross a pretty narrow path across the southeastern corner of Oklahoma, covering the area and darkness for about four and a half minutes. You know, most people might think of Oklahoma as you know open plains and farmland but this area of the states pretty different. It's very lush forests, lakes, rivers, streams and a lot of hiking trails, which is kind of making it an ideal spot for people looking to experience the eclipse in some nature.

• John Yang:

  What effect is that having on that corner of the state?

• Adam Kemp:

  Yeah, experts are expecting a financial boon for the area basically. The Oklahoma Department of Tourism has already come out to say they expect a $7 million impact for each day of the weekend and the eclipse day itself. Really kind of benefiting that area.

  I talked to the Marriott of Hoja town Oklahoma which is a popular weekend getaway spot. They have more than 2400 rental properties in the area and right now more than 95 percent of those are booked out. Those rooms and rental rates are going upwards of 400 to $500 a night. And I even talked to some local businesses who are selling their parking spots off to for people just to sit during the day of they're going for $100 for the day. So a financial boon for these areas for sure.

• John Yang:

  And I would also imagine a lot more people than normal are going to be in that corner of Oklahoma. What are officials doing to prepare for the crowds?

• Adam Kemp:

  Experts say 70,000 people are expected to visit the area upwards of that. And that's more than double what this area would see on a really busy holiday weekend. Because of that the state and city officials have really been planning for this for months now.

  The Oklahoma National Guard has been called out to be on guard during that time, they will be stationed to handle both crowd control and traffic which is expected to be really horrible as this area is mainly just two lane highways. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol will also send 100 officers down to the area to be on standby.

  Beyond that, local businesses are actually asking employees to spend the night the night before just in case they can't get to work the day of the eclipse due to this bad traffic. And city officials are saying, you know, pack your patience. Make sure that you have full tank of gas that you are bringing plenty of perishable food and water with you just in case you're in your car for an extended period of time.

• John Yang:

  You know over the years, there's been a lot of folklore and legends connected and relating to eclipses. I know there are a sizable Native American population in Oklahoma is there any folklore among them?

• Adam Kemp:

  The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma actually is a big swath of this area of totality. And ahead of the eclipse, they've been telling a story that they say dates back to their ancestors on the Trail of Tears. It's about a Fvni Lusa. It's a giant black squirrel that attempts to eat the sun but is scared away by the Choctaw people who are get out there and bang pots and pans as well as firing off of guns.

  The Choctaw Nation has actually been telling the story ahead of the eclipse and I talked to Dawn Standridge of the Choctaw Nation just about what it means to have people come visit and to be able to share their culture with people from across the US.

• Dawn Standridge, Wheelock Academy History Site:

  It's exciting for us to be able to have all these individuals coming from everywhere to learn about Choctaw history in the midst of this eclipse. Yes, we're going to tell about the squirrel and what our beliefs were around that. But it's also telling us, you know, how our people got here from Mississippi, Alabama, you know what they had to endure.

  So being able to impart that history to them as well, that's, you know, we are excited about it. We're looking forward to it.

• Adam Kemp:

  And on the day of eclipse, they actually plan on telling that story and encouraging people to bring their own pots and pans.

• John Yang:

  So Adam, I know this is not your first Total Eclipse I believe it's at least your second but what are you going to be doing tomorrow?

• Adam Kemp:

  I'm actually going to head down to the Choctaw Nation. I want to experience that myself. I'm going to be at one of the historic sites listen to the story of Fvni Lusa and really experienced that the weather right now is projected to be really nice. Not a lot of cloud cover in the area so I might have to bring my pots and pans with me.

• John Yang:

  Okay, have fun Adam Kemp in Oklahoma Thank you very much.

• Adam Kemp:

  Thanks.