Brewer photographer reflects on Houlton eclipse experience

HOULTON, Maine (WABI) -Houlton was a hotspot for eclipse enthusiasts from all over Maine and beyond.

“California, Wyoming, Idaho. I’ve also heard from people from like Spanish speaking cultures and everybody’s just coming here. Welcome.”

While the estimated 35,000 visitors waited for the chance to see the solar eclipse in the sky, something incredible was already happening.

People were coming together to learn about each other and share this experience with one another.

“We knew that the pounding demonstration of the ash log, we knew that the drumming would draw people in and it did. There’s nothing I love more than telling people about what our language means, what the words mean,” Chris Phillips, Economic Director for the Houlton Band of Maliseet, said about their performance.

“People of all walks of life are coming here to enjoy this,” said Johanna Johnston, Executive Director of Southern Aroostook County Development Corporation. She said, “A lot of people that have invested a lot of money into the equipment so they can you know, this is their passion. This is their hobby. And then a lot of them are willing to share that with with other people and show them what it looks like.”

Including Soubanh Phanthay, who is the City of Brewer Deputy Mayor and a professional photographer.

“It feels like the community, the whole state, is coming together,” he said.

We talked to Phantay in Houlton, and then we caught up with him a few days later after he had time to process the whole eclipse experience.

“I offered people to look through my viewfinder, and before you know, it every time I had a little gap there was a line of people waiting to see what the change was. Because it’s so different than using your eyes with through the glasses because I’m zoomed in at 600 millimeters on my lens and people were so grateful for that. I had, I had buddies, instant friends, because I shared my lens with everybody. I think that was kind of the highlight of my, my whole trip, was being able to share that and then share it again afterwards. And, and it was just a boost of community, that sense of community, sense of togetherness, belonging. And for that one event, we all forgot about our differences. We were just focused on the eclipse,” he said.

You can find more of his pictures from the eclipse here.