To charge extra for moonsicles, Emily Gegg and Amanda Schwent need more than the moon hiding the sun.
Luna's Shaved Ice's best friends and co-owners have stocked 25,000 frozen fruit pops to sell for $3 to Perryville, Missouri, visitors watching Monday's complete solar eclipse. Perryville, 80 miles south of St. Louis, is in the path of totality from Texas to Maine, where the moon will entirely block the sun for several minutes.
Small and large enterprises are hoping to profit along that swath. Delta operates eclipse flights from Austin and Dallas to Detroit. Travel technology provider Amadeus reports that Sunday hotel rates are $170 more than last year. Vermont all-day sound healing retreats cost $222 per.
Officials are building up municipal park, soccer complex, and regional airport observation areas. The three-day SolarFest includes free live bands, a silent disco, a foam party, and a car display. Saturday morning hot air balloon rides cost $10, but the nighttime "glow show," when they're lit up like lanterns, is free.
The park has an 8-foot pair of functional sun glasses that 10–15 eclipse spectators can use. “We believe the long-term benefit of receiving people the way we are will pay for itself,” Buerck added. “People will return for a weekend, eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores, and buy our gas.”
Stonie's Sausage Shop, known for its smoked and cured meats, now serves a SolarFest sub ($7.99). Villainous Grounds, a coffee and comic book business, serves raspberry, strawberry, and rum “cosmic lattes” with edible glitter. It roasted 300 pounds of “226.6” coffee blend in 3 minutes and 46.6 seconds, Perryville's total.
The cosmic latte ($4 to $6, depending on size) and 226.6 roast ($19 a pound) match the shop's year-round prices because owner Mary Jo Bammel said, “I don't like it when I go to events and see other people raising their prices — and because it helps us sell out.”
Hadley Warren, 13, who chooses Hadley's Candy Shoppe's goodies, has Starburst, Galaxy Popcorn, Pop Rocks, Astro Pops, and light-up gel spacecraft pens. The family-owned downtown store is closed on Monday so its multigenerational owners can celebrate the holiday together.
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