April 7, 2024, 10:30 PM UTC
By Harriet Baskas
It will take more than the moon blocking out the face of the sun for Emily Gegg and Amanda Schwent to charge more for moonsicles.
The best friends and co-owners of Luna’s Shaved Ice have stockpiled 25,000 of their frozen fruit pops to sell for $3 apiece to visitors descending on Perryville, Missouri, to watch Monday’s total solar eclipse.
“We didn’t even discuss raising the price for the eclipse weekend,” said Gegg.
“That wouldn’t be right,” Schwent added.
Luna’s Shaved Ice in Perryville, Mo., isn’t raising prices on its frozen treats during the total solar eclipse.Whitten Sabbatini for NBC News
Perryville, about 80 miles south of St. Louis, is in the path of totality stretching from Texas to Maine, where the shadow of the moon will fully obscure the sun for several minutes.
All along that swath, businesses large and small are looking to cash in. Delta Air Lines is running eclipse flights from Austin and Dallas to Detroit. Hotels are charging guests an average of $170 more Sunday than on the same day last year, according to travel technology company Amadeus. Tickets to an all-day sound healing retreat in Vermont have been going for $222 a pop.
But in Perryville, population 8,500, many businesses have decided they “don’t need to make every last dollar,” said City Administrator Brent Buerck.
Bobbie and Michelle wearing handmade eclipse shirts in Perryville.Whitten Sabbatini for NBC News
Officials are setting up viewing locations at the city park, soccer complex and regional airport. They’re also throwing a three-day SolarFest with everything from live bands and a silent disco to a foam party and a car show — all of that free. Tethered rides in hot air balloons were available for a $10 suggested donation Saturday morning, but that evening’s “glow show,” when they were lit up like giant lanterns, was held free of charge.
There’s even an 8-foot pair of working solar glasses in the park that 10 to 15 eclipse viewers can peer into at once.
Eight-foot long, fully functional eclipse glasses at Perryville’s main park can accommodate around a dozen people.Whitten Sabbatini for NBC News
“We believe the long-term benefit of receiving people the way we are doing it will pay for itself,” Buerck said. “People will come back for a weekend another time, eat in our restaurants, shop at our stores and buy our gas.”
Stonie’s Sausage Shop, famous for its smoked and cured meats, has added a SolarFest sub ($7.99) to its menu. Villainous Grounds, a coffee and comic book shop, is serving “cosmic lattes” with raspberry, strawberry and rum flavors, topped with a swirl of edible glitter. It has also roasted 300 pounds of a coffee blend dubbed “226.6” for the duration of Perryville’s totality: 3 minutes and 46.6 seconds.
Prices for the cosmic latte ($4 to $6, depending on size) and 226.6 roast ($19 a pound) match the shop’s year-round levels because, as owner Mary Jo Bammel put it, “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, the 13-year-old who selects which sweets to offer at Hadley’s Candy Shoppe, has stocked up on Starburst, Galaxy Popcorn, Pop Rocks and Astro Pops, along with light-up gel spaceship pens. The family-run store downtown has been open during the weekend festivities but is closed as usual on Monday, so its multigenerational owners can enjoy the celestial occasion together.
Hadley Warren, 13, and her mom, Morgan, at Hadley’s Candy Shoppe in Perryville. Hadley decided to stock on-theme sweets to sell during the eclipse.Whitten Sabbatini for NBC News
“We didn’t want to let the business take the opportunity away from us,” said Hadley’s mom, Morgan Warren.
This isn’t the area’s first time hosting umbraphiles. During the solar eclipse of 2017, Perry County saw 2 minutes and 40 seconds of totality and welcomed over 17,000 visitors, said Trish Erzfeld, director of Perry County Heritage Tourism. That event delivered an estimated $680,000 in economic impact and “has kept us in the limelight for community planning for the past seven years,” she said.
Whitten Sabbatini for NBC News
Garrett and Floyd on a Perryville basketball court.Whitten Sabbatini for NBC News
Perryville, which typically sees at least 50,000 visitors annually, opened two museums — the American Tractor Museum and a full-scale replica of Washington, D.C.’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial — after the 2017 eclipse and expects this one to be a bigger draw. The county’s population of 18,000 is forecast to double or even triple, delivering an economic boost of around $1 million, though the weather could affect turnout.
Erzfeld called tourism “very important” to Perryville’s economy and “the welfare of its residents.” Other local attractions include a Barn Quilt Trail and a Roman Catholic National Shrine called Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
“We don’t want people to come here and feel like they’re being robbed,” Erzfeld said, adding that “inflation has obviously affected our community.”
Kendra and her daughter, Adrionna; an eclipse-themed lollipop for sale at Hadley’s Candy Shoppe in Perryville; Cade shows off his eclipse style.Whitten Sabbatini for NBC News
The area’s median household income was $61,500 in 2022, about $13,000 beneath the national average, according to the latest census data. Major employers include a dry food packing company, a Toyota car parts manufacturer and a hospital.
Some local businesses are looking to capitalize on the rare surge in demand — at least up to a point.
All 75 rooms at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites on Interstate 55 were booked for eclipse weekend more than six months ago, said hotel manager Alex Patel. Its weekend rates generally run between $149 and $169 a night but have hit $399 for the eclipse, and there’s been a long waitlist of people hoping someone would cancel. A few even offered to take a room at any price if one opened up, he said.
“Some hotels are charging $700 and even $1,000, but even if I have one room available I’m not going to charge more than $399,” Patel said. “That’s a max.”
About 15 miles southeast of Perryville, Hemman Winery is offering live music, Moon Pies, “blackout sangria” in special color-changing cups and 1,000 bottles of a limited edition “Totality” wine ($18 a bottle).
Doug and Bonnie Hemman, co-owners of Hemman Winery, are selling a special release bottle of “Totality” wine.Whitten Sabbatini for NBC News
“We’re not up-charging for the wine or charging people extra to view the eclipse from our place,” said Bonnie Hemman, who co-owns the winery with her husband, Doug. “I didn’t make the sun or the moon, so I’m not going to stick it to people to come here to see a God-made thing.”
Out at Hollandale Acres farm, Katie Holland-Davis and her husband, Tim, left 9 acres of their land unplanted this year to provide a pop-up campground for eclipse viewers.
“We had such a lovely time seeing the 2017 eclipse from our farm, where the sky is wide open, and we wanted others to have that experience,” Holland-Davis said.
Tim and Katie Holland-Davis are hosting eclipse watchers at a makeshift campground on their farm.Whitten Sabbatini for NBC News
Ninety spots have been marked off for tents and small camping vehicles. A $90 nightly fee includes continental breakfast, bottled water and soda, port-a-potties and shower towelettes, along with games for kids and adults.
“For many people, this is going to be their first eclipse, and our goal is to make sure people have a nice place to stay,” said Holland-Davis, who has hired extra staff to help with logistics. “Making money is not the main issue.”
The safety of locals and visitors to the area is an issue, though. Fifteen Perryville police officers are on patrol over the weekend and into Monday. Perry County Sheriff Jason Klaus has 11 of his 15 deputies on duty to keep things running smoothly and respond to any weather-related hiccups, medical emergencies or traffic.
But officers plan on handing out more free eclipse glasses than tickets.
“We’re going to do everything we can not to use any kind of parking enforcement,” Klaus said, though he added: “When it comes time for totality, I hope people don’t just stop in or on the roadway.”
County patrol cars have stashes of extra sun-viewing specs for anyone unprepared, and Klaus is allowing deputies to invite their spouses (but not their kids) to ride along on Monday.
“Even though we have a job to do and that comes first, the eclipse is a neat effect that I want my officers to take advantage of,” he said.
Perryville is hosting a three-day “SolarFest” event to celebrate Monday’s total eclipse, with much of the programming free.Whitten Sabbatini for NBC News
Harriet Baskas
Harriet Baskas is an NBC News contributor who writes about travel and the arts.
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