(Photo : CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
A customer hoists a glass of beer at McSorley's Old Ale House in New York City on Feb. 18, 2024. Upstate bars in the path of totality are planning special events for the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024.
Students at one upstate New York college plan to put a new twist on day drinking — by getting blotto as the sun's rays get blotted out.
SUNY Oswego, which lies in the path of totality for Monday's solar eclipse, canceled daytime classes so everyone can "better observe this occurrence" and to "foster interest in special programs around it," according to the school's website.
But as far as sophomore Edward Olszewksi is concerned, those "special programs" will be hosted by hard-partying fraternities.
"For the actual day itself, I'll probably be at one of the frat houses," Olszewski, 20, told the New York Post for a Sunday report.
"There's definitely going to be a party. I know there's also going to be, like, a little on-campus thing, with food I think, and music. I know that's happening on campus, but like, I'm obviously not going to go to that; I'll be with my boys."
Another SUNY Oswego sophomore, Luke Kapczak, 21, said that "the eclipse is all everyone is talking about."
"People are excited that there are no classes, and obviously there's going to be some parties," Kapczak told the Post. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing."
About 75 miles away, Captain Jack's Goodtime Tavern in Sodus Point, New York, will celebrate the celestial marvel with "Eclipse Karaoke," in which all the songs will be "about the sun, moon, and outer space," according to its website.
The festivities are set to start at 1 p.m. with a "sing-off" involving the 1983 Bonnie Tyler hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart."
Other eclipse-related events across the Empire State include sky watching from Patrick's Rooftop bar in Buffalo, which bills itself as the city's highest outdoor drinking establishment.
Admission tickets cost $25 each, which the Post described as a bargain compared to the $100 price being charged by some spots in Manhattan — which will only experience a partial eclipse.
The Lake Erie Wine Country website also offered four-day, "Lights Out!" passes to a dozen local wineries from Friday through Monday, but ticket sales ended last week.
And beyond New York, a number of local breweries are capitalizing by offering eclipse-themed beers, according to space.com.
