The man who brought a marathon to Millinocket to boost the local economy is once again encouraging Mainers to lace up their sneakers and go for a run.

But this time he wants you strap a headlamp to your forehead on April 8 and jog anywhere you’d like. During the eclipse. When it’s going to be very dark.

As long as you do it in Millinocket.

“We’ve heard from folks far and wide that coming to Millinocket to do a sort of loosely organized fun run/walk with no real route like you would for a normal road race is a great way to take in the eclipse,” Gary Allen, event organizer, said earlier this week.

He’s calling it the “Millinockeclipse.”

“There’s no real start or finish,” he said. “As we’re telling people, the show is in the sky.”

Maine is playing a starring role in the April 8 eclipse that will make its way to the Pine Tree State after starting in Texas and traveling northeast. From Jackman to Millinocket to Houlton, Maine is the place to be in the path of totality.

The total solar eclipse, which happens when the sun, moon and Earth are aligned, will begin in Maine on the western border at 3:28 p.m. and leave the state in Houlton by 3:35 p.m.

And while Allen’s fun run in Millinocket is one of the more unusual ways to enjoy the rare event — the next one visible in the U.S. doesn’t happen until 2044 — cities and towns across Maine are anxious to welcome visitors to a part of the state that is often overshadowed by lighthouses and lobsters.

For many Aroostook County towns, this is a great chance to show off their dark skies and the solar system models that stretch from Presque Isle to Houlton, said Jacob Pelkey, tourism developer for the Northern Maine Development Commission.

“Sky fun isn’t new to Aroostook County, but (the eclipse) amplifies it a little bit,” he said.

Pelkey said it’s impossible to estimate how many people will show up, although all three hotels in Houlton are booked solid. A few rooms at major hotel chains remain in Presque Isle and Caribou, he said.

Houlton, which is the last place in the continental U.S. to see the eclipse, has spent three years planning for what they hope will be an influx of tourists who not only visit for a day or two, but think about Houlton as a place to put down roots.

Jane Torres, director of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce, said as the town started to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, they could see an increased interest in rural areas like Houlton. And with an eclipse on the way, they studied the experience of other cities and towns that hosted thousands of sky watchers.

They even came up with a tagline: “The End is Here.”

She estimates that at least 10,000 people will show up in Houlton, a town with a year-round population of 6,000. But that could balloon to 30,000 if the weather cooperates.

Torres said given the eclipse is coming through northern Maine in April, there’s a 40% chance of sunshine. Regardless, the town has planned three days of events starting Saturday, April 6 and extending through the eclipse on Monday.

Those events include a brew fest, a performance by comedian Tim Sample, speeches by astrophysicists, live music and food trucks.

NASA will be there too, sending a crew to livestream the eclipse.

“It’s been a great ride,” Torres said. “Nine of us have been in it from the beginning. We want people to keep thinking about Houlton.”

Torres and Pelkey advised visitors that since it will be mud season, some dirt roads will be closed and it’s not advisable to drive (or park) off the shoulder into potentially deep muck.

The county has designed six Star Parks that offer a safe place to park, restrooms and trash cans for those looking to find a place in the path of the eclipse.

Another bit of advice for those traveling from other parts of Maine?

Don’t try to time your trip to arrive just before the eclipse begins, Torres said. They anticipate the highway and exit ramp off I-95 in Houlton will be backed up.

“Head out early,” she said. “The earlier the better.”

And while the total eclipse will last only a few minutes — 3 minutes and 18 seconds in Houlton, to be exact — the partial eclipse will last about two hours.

If you’re not into big crowds, Pelkey suggested considering other towns as alternatives.

“The hubbub of traffic is really going to be in Houlton, but there will be a quieter experience in Caribou and Presque Isle,” he said.

Another option is Limestone, where the 1940s-era Arch Hangar at the former Loring Air Force Base will be open to visitors, he said.

Back in the Penobscot County town of Millinocket, for those who don’t want to run, there will be food vendors, live music, a whoopie pie bake off and merchandise for sale at the Veterans Park downtown, said Brandi Greenleaf, of Outer Reach Broadband, which is organizing the event.

Allen said regardless of how you want to take in the eclipse — whether it’s on roller skates or in your running shoes — Millinocket is a fun place to be.

Just don’t forget your eclipse glasses.

“It’s kind of like ‘Northern Exposure’ Maine-style,” he said. “You get the vibe when you come here and once you sort of feel it, you can’t stop coming back.”