CASHIERS, NC — The U.S. Postal Service will celebrate the Total Solar Eclipse Forever Stamp at a ceremony on Monday, Aug. 21, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Eclipse Fest on the Village Green Commons. The event will feature a special stamp unveiling at 12:30 p.m. and a stamp cancellation for enthusiasts seeking to commemorate this astronomical phenomenon.

The Total Solar Eclipse Forever Stamp was released on June 20, 2017 in anticipation of the total eclipse of the sun. This is the first U.S. stamp to use thermochromic ink, which uses body heat to transform the solar eclipse into the Moon.

“This is one of the most exciting stamps that the Postal Service has ever released,” said Cashiers Postmaster Sybil Smith. “A simple touch with your finger can replicate the extraordinary experience of a solar eclipse.”

A total eclipse of the Sun occurs when the Moon completely blocks the visible solar disk from view, casting a shadow on Earth. Cashiers, NC, is in the 70-mile-wide shadow path of the eclipse, known as the “path of totality,” which will traverse the country diagonally, appearing first in Oregon (mid-morning local time) and exiting some 2,500 miles east and 90 minutes later off the coast of South Carolina (mid-afternoon local time) passing through portions of 14 states.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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