'Ambassadors' to Help With Crowd Control in Houlton for Eclipse

The goal is to get people in and out of Houlton, Maine, as quickly and safely as possible.

Houlton, Maine, has a population of just over 6,000 as of the 2020 census. According to the Bangor Daily News, that could swell to over 40,000 to watch three minutes of darkness during the total eclipse of the sun.

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Houlton, Maine, is the last town that will see totality for this rare occasion. The next time Maine is in the path of a total solar eclipse isn't until 2079. That's 55 years! That would be why Houlton is celebrating all weekend long until the big day on Monday, April 8, 2024.

Having the population six times greater will cause some issues, especially since the majority of people will be from out of town and have no idea what they are dealing with.

So Houlton has trained about 30 'eclipse ambassadors' to help with crowd control. These ambassadors are trained volunteers who will help the area's law enforcement over the eclipse festival weekend.

Recently, the Houlton Chief of Police and the Interim Town Manager Tim DeLuca had a meeting with over 30 volunteer eclipse ambassadors. According to the Bangor Daily News, DeLuca said,

Having credentials that say ambassador comes with a lot of responsibility. I can’t stress enough, be friendly, and have a good listening ear. Be approachable. Talk to people so you’re more visible, so they see you and they know we are watching.

Why does Houlton, Maine, need volunteer eclipse ambassadors?

For police in Houlton, Maine, after the total solar eclipse, people are going to want to head out of town back to their homes. So it's all about traffic flow in and out of town and getting people in and out as smoothly as possible. Again, the population of Houlton is just over 6,000, and they are excepting around 40,000. Hotel rooms have been completely booked for months. Because it's such a busy weekend, regional law enforcement is already tied up because it's not just Houlton where you can view the totality of the solar eclipse, but it's the LAST place you can see it.

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Because it's an afternoon event, police don't expect a lot of drinking, and no need for riot police; more in line of accidents and even lost children. It's a very exciting time for Houlton, Maine!