BEAVER, Utah — Tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world were expected to descend upon Utah to get an extraordinary view of last week's annular solar eclipse.
So did they come?
A lot of money certainly exchanged hands with many more people than usual flooding into the small towns of central Utah like Bryce Canyon City, Beaver, Fillmore and Richfield.
PHOTOS: Utahns across the state share eclipse photos
"It was something we don’t see in Richfield very often," said Jeff Raisor, Exec. Dir. of the Richfield Chamber of Commerce. "We typically see one or two, but I heard that there were 77 planes here over the weekend, and yeah, they were coming in left and right."
Raisor says those pilots and their passengers, for the most part, didn’t just touch and go.
"A lot of people came and at least ate at restaurants and helped our local economy that way, so that was appreciated," he said.
But in regards to the projected 30,000 people making their way into Richfield during the eclipse, Raisor said the city didn't quite hit those numbers.
"So we planned for the worst and hoped for the best, and we definitely did not get near [those projections], we might have gotten a third of that," he said.
Still, the region saw a real boon thanks to the natural phenomenon.
"There were some restaurants with lines out the door, which really helped, and of course, people getting gas, steady streams of cars, and at our grocery stores. That helped our economy," Raisor said.
Cary Laspina has run Surewood Forest, a specialty candle and unique gift shop on Main Street in Beaver for the past 22 years and says this weekend was really something.
"It was crazy. The hotels were full," he said. "From California and Nevada and Arizona and all over the place. Not normal for this time of the year or for that weekend.
"There were people all over the place!"
Laspina's store kept their doors open much later than usual to accommodate all the customers streaming in.
"If you can add something to your year with an event like that, then that’s really special," he explained.
Cary says it’s his experience in the entertainment business that’s helped his shop thrive in an unlikely setting for so long. He says Surewood Forest has become a destination for those meeting up in the city.
"Beaver seems to be the halfway point between every place in the world," he laughed.
Also right in the middle of it all, about 1,800 people came to Snow College’s Richfield campus for their ringside seats to the eclipse.
"They did an amazing job. We went over there and my kids were loving that. They had all kinds of STEM activities and projects," said Raisor. "And then as the eclipse happened we all became like science geeks, sitting there with our glasses. And then as it reached its peak the 'Ring of Fire,' there were cheers and horns honking and it was like the end of an Avengers movie, everybody was excited!
And while the eclipse isn’t happening again in Utah anytime soon, residents and business owners say there’s still good reason to come and visit again soon.
