After months of anticipation, the total eclipse of the sun is about to happen. Businesses and organizations all over Chautauqua County have been planning and preparing. Many are offering special hours or events, and they are stocked and staffed and ready to serve you. Check out our list online at www.chautauquachamber.org and the Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau website at www.tourchautauqua.com to find attractions, dining, and shopping opportunities. With extra visitors expected in our area for this once-in-a-lifetime event, we should all put our best foot forward. As tourism is a huge piece of our economic picture, the goal for all our attractions and businesses should be to please our guests so much that they will return. Our downtown Jamestown Chamber office and Visitor Information Center at 300 North Main Street will be open special hours this weekend, 10am-2pm Saturday and Sunday, and from 8am-noon Monday, to help guide visitors to local destinations. CCVB, located in the Main Gate Welcome Center at Chautauqua Institution, will be staffed Saturday – Monday from 10am-4pm.

Even if you’re not seeking out the eclipse, you will experience it here in Chautauqua County, no matter what the weather conditions are Monday afternoon. Even if you have seen a partial eclipse of the sun in the past, a total eclipse is a dramatically different event. We have heard numerous stories and read many articles that indicate the difference between a 99% eclipse and a 100% eclipse is literally like day and night. When the moon fully blocks the sun, the sky will get dark as night, and if it’s clear with no substantial light pollution you will be able to see stars and possibly planets in the sky. The duration of totality will vary depending on where you are. The closer to the center line of the eclipse path, the longer the total eclipse will last. Every part of Chautauqua County is well within the path and will experience the total eclipse.

It is crucial that you protect your eyes. Looking directly at the sun without eclipse lenses can cause serious damage to your vision. Use special solar glasses, still available at many locations including municipalities, libraries, the Chamber office in downtown Jamestown, and the CCVB at the Main Gate Welcome Center at Chautauqua – all while supplies last. Limit viewing (with eclipse glasses) to three minutes of continuous use or intermittently over several hours. Please supervisor children to be sure they are using eclipse glasses correctly. Once the eclipse is in totality you may take the glasses off to see the full effect, then put them back on as soon as the sun begins to reappear. Use eclipse glasses as a filter over your camera lens to avoid damage.

Chautauqua County Emergency Management is expecting high traffic volumes especially right before and right after the eclipse. Please use caution driving. Rural roads may become congested as eclipse watchers seek wide open views without streetlights that will automatically come on when it gets dark.

We hope you will support local businesses and have patience with staff that may be busier than usual. Stay safe and enjoy this rare celestial event!

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS AT MAZZA CHAUTAUQUA CELLARS IS APRIL 11

Business After Hours is a fun and productive way to network in Chautauqua County, and you can join us this coming week for our next event. We are already anticipating a great crowd for Business After Hours at Mazza Chautauqua Cellars and Five & 20 Spirits and Brewing on Route 20 in Westfield. This event will be held from 5-6:30pm, Thursday, April 11.

Chamber member businesses can send two people at no charge. For non-members or anyone above the two-person limit, the price is $10. Advance registration is not required but is appreciated for our planning purposes and will get your name and business included in our Who’s Who in the Room list.

Business After Hours at Mazza is sponsored by Mazza Chautauqua Cellars, Jamestown Community College, Media One Radio Group, Observer, The Post-Journal, and R & R Property Services & Landscaping. Sign up now through our web calendar at www.chautauquachamber.org.

SIGN UP NOW FOR THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE BREAKFAST APRIL 19

Each year the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to offer a series of events designed to get you in the room with our local elected officials from the County, State, and Federal levels of government. The first one coming up this year is our annual County Executive Breakfast.

County Executive PJ Wendel will be our special guest Friday, April 19, at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel in Celoron. This is an opportunity for local businesspeople to join us for a candid question and answer session, with networking opportunities before and after.

Check-in will begin at 8am, with breakfast and the program to start at 8:30. The price is $25 for Chamber members or $29 for non-members. Advance registration is required.

The County Executive Breakfast is sponsored by Brooks-TLC Hospital System/Kaleida Health, Chautauqua Harbor Hotel, Chautauqua Institution, Community Bank, County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency, DFT Communications, Jamestown Community College, Jamestown Mattress, LaBella Associates, Media One Radio Group, National Grid, Observer, Phillips Lytle, The Post-Journal, Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union, Southern Tier Environments for Living, and UPMC Chautauqua.

We look forward to seeing you there.