TORRINGTON – Everyday crossed off the calendar moves Goshen County, and the state of Wyoming, one day closer to Aug. 21 and the next total solar eclipse and the Goshen County Eclipse Committee wants to help area residents be prepared for the event, so on Thursday, April 20, the committee held a public meeting in the Pony Express Room of the Torrington City Hall to share with residents ongoing preparations to get ready for the two-and-a-half-minute event.
“The eclipse committee was formed in June 2016, with local volunteers and a goal of making sure the event is a safe and pleasurable experience,” committee member Dr. Jennifer Lanier said. “And since we can’t postpone or change it, we need to be prepared for it.”
Lanier told the crowd there will be two types of people descending on Goshen County to see the eclipse, the pre-planners and the day trippers.
“The pre-planners will come prepared.” she said. “They’ll have food, water, lodging arrangements, just about everything they need for a good experience.
“The day trippers won’t be prepared. They’ll show up with no water, no food, no cash and will do what they can to get right in the path of totality. We have no reliable number for the number of visitors we will have, especially for the day trippers, but that is who we need to be prepared for.”
Goshen County Commissioner Wally Wolski, is also a member of the eclipse committee and told the group that the number of visitors to Wyoming could be greater than the actual population of the state.
“No one knows for sure just how many outsiders will be traveling to Wyoming from all over the world; recently it has been predicted to expect an estimated 900,000 visitors statewide,” he said. “Of that, no one knows for sure how many of these folks will actually end up coming to Goshen County.
“It is worthy to note, however, that we are the closest location for viewing the solar eclipse for all residents living on the front range of Colorado or from the greater Denver metro area.”
He went on to say that never before has Goshen County been is a similar position, with so much at stake.
“Goshen County is in the crosshairs as one of the premier locations, ground zero, for people from all over the world to come and view this once-in-a-lifetime event. It is a unique opportunity to showcase Goshen County to visitors from near and far.”
After the opening remarks, individuals in the crowd shared what specific preparations, planning and considerations they are making to prepare for the eclipse.
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Fort Laramie Ranger Eric Valencia said the park has been preparing and planning for the event for quite some time, and that Fort Laramie is one of the few National Parks that is in the path of the eclipse.

“There are 391 units in the National Park System, there are only 27 that are in the path of totality and Fort Laramie is one of those,” Valencia shared. “The Grand Tetons is planning for it to be the largest, single day event ever.”
The first order of business is to make the fort a safe environment for all visitors, Valencia said. “We will open quite early on the day of the eclipse in order to get everyone in and accommodated. We’ll be able to park 500 to 700 vehicles and as many as 5,000 visitors.”
However, that is just the day of the eclipse. The park service is planning on entertainment, music and living history events beginning on Friday evening, Aug. 18.
“We are planning for the maximum amount of people the park can handle.”
Internet and Social Media
One concern of the committee is how to get helpful information to visitors, and residents, in a timely and efficient manner; where to eat, where to sleep, where to get gas, how to avoid traffic and how to get from point A to point B. Fortunately, in the digital age, the internet and social media can help alleviate some of the confusion.
Goshen County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Ashely Harpstreith told everyone in attendance the gogoshen.net website, though designed for all county events, would be adding information specific to the eclipse, right up until the day of the event.
“We will have a list of viewing areas and a list of places for camping and lodging,” Harpstreith said. “On the first page of the website we have a map that shows the places where visitors can camp, eat, view the eclipse and other places of interest. But for us to get those on the map, and on the website, we need to know about them. So there is a link on gogoshen.net where someone can submit an event, or place to stay or eat, to the website.”
In addition,  Brandon Balzer of Yoder told the crowd he had started a Facebook page to help people locate places to camp in Goshen County during the eclipse.
“My concern is how are we going to cash in on this event,” Balzer asked the crowd. “I started a Facebook page, “Goshen County Wyoming Eclipse Camping Listings,” and its free to anyone willing to provide camping sites on their property for the solar eclipse. I’m not charging anything for this, I just want there to be a place where people can go and find a place where they can camp.
“My place is in Yoder and we’re going to have 25 primitive camp sites and 10 RV camp sites. Yoder is having a street dance Saturday night before the eclipse and hopefully that will bring people in. It will help bring people in if you have some kind of activity or event for them to do while they’re here.”
Banner Health
As far as public health and access to emergency care, Mike Huntington, Community Hospital’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, told the crowd the hospital and clinic have been talking about potential glitches the hospital may face.
“We have multiple facilities affected in Goshen and Platte counties by the eclipse,” Huntington said. “We don’t want to lose any quality of care so we are taking steps to make sure we have enough staff and providers to take care of any situation.”
An event like this may come and go without any major incidents, but it wouldn’t take many incidents to stretch the counties resources, including medical, to the limit. Huntington said the staff at Community Hospital has been trying to envision all possible scenarios, from the obvious like animal and snake bites, eye damage from looking at the sun and heat related emergencies to the more obscure and unexpected.
“One thing we have looked at,” Huntington shared, “is looking into appropriate interpreters for the expected foreign nationals the will be here.”
Casper Airport has had visitors from 25 different countries call about available services if they fly in for the eclipse. So far contacts have been few at Torrington’s Municipal Airport, but the eclipse is still four months away.
Department of Revenue
There are plenty of people across the state looking at ways to cash in on the solar eclipse, and rightfully so. But, Crissy Lopez of the Wyoming Department of Revenue warned potential entrepreneurs in the crowd that even though the eclipse is a one-time event, there are still responsibilities that can not be ignored.
“Any temporary business must register with the state,” Lopez said, whose office is located in Torrington. “You can fill out the appropriate forms online or pick them up at my office. I’ll be happy to help anyone fill them out that needs the help.”
Then she emphasized to the group that if you are establishing a temporary campground or renting out rooms in your house, Goshen County is a lodging tax county.
“You must register as a temporary lodging facility, and you must collect and pay lodging tax,” she said. “If you sell anything, whether it is water or candy bars, you must also collect and pay the sales tax on those items.”
She encouraged anyone with questions about having a temporary business to call her at (307) 532-5566 or visit her at her office at 1618 East M Street.
“This is probably going to be a week long event that will come to a climax for two minutes on August 21,” Lanier added as the crowd began to break up. “But there will be a lot to do between now and then and we can use all the volunteers we can get.”
Potential volunteers can contact Lanier at (307) 228-0047.