Effingham hopes for long-lasting impact from eclipse influx

EFFINGHAM, Ill. (WCIA) — The eclipse brought tens of thousands of sun-seekers from across the country right into Effingham’s backyard. Now, city officials and business are hopeful for economic results coming from the influx of people.

Effingham is coming off one of its busiest weeks in recent memory.

“We always prepare for the worst and pray for the best, and we actually got the best,” Police Chief Jason McFarland said. “Our biggest concern here was traffic and how we were going to get emergency services to where they needed to be during the eclipse, and thankfully that situation didn’t arise.”

Local business Tuscan Hills Winery said they accommodated upwards of 2,000 people for their watch party.

“Northern Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Utah, Colorado — I’m not even sure I know everything. But yeah, it was a lot of people,” General Manager Carrie Rodman said.

Head of Tourism Jodi Thoele said planning and preparation made a big difference in making it a success.

“The extra preparation, it really came in handy,” Thoele said. “In the Effingham area, everything ran super smoothly. We didn’t have any issues.”

With the eclipse now over, city officials are hoping the impact lasts.

“We had thousands of people in our community. In just this one day, that sort of economic impact can be anywhere from tens of thousands to $100,000,” Thoele said.

She said they are expecting to see those economic results in the long term.

“Of course, we know our hotels were full, but, you know, people got gas. They stopped at our restaurants. They were in our convenience stores and our shopping and different things like that. So, yeah, we saw a huge economic impact during that time.”

Officials say they don’t have exact numbers right now, but estimate that at least 50,000 to 100,000 people passed through or by Effingham from Sunday to Monday.

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