Businesses seek to capitalize on eclipse fans

Sun King Brewery has developed a limited-run coffee-infused golden ale as part of an initiative with 12 other U.S. breweries that will also see total darkness. (Photo courtesy of Sun King)

How do yaks act during a solar eclipse? Cathy Lammer of Noblesville is hoping people will visit her family’s new agribusiness in Arcadia next month to find out.

Woolly Yak Ranch & Winery is one of many central Indiana businesses that want to be part of the action when potentially hundreds of thousands of visitors (no one really knows how many), descend on the state to experience the April 8 eclipse.

In addition to large eclipse gatherings planned at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Newfields, Conner Prairie, Indiana University’s Memorial Stadium and other large venues, private companies, retailers and restaurants are planning their own smaller-scale offerings. Those range from viewing parties and special activities to eclipse-themed lodging, food and drink.

Lammer and her husband, Chris Lammer, are marking the eclipse by celebrating the grand opening of Woolly Yak, which sits on 24 acres at 3124 E. 266th St. in rural Hamilton County. The ranch will offer visitors a chance to see yaks, babydoll Southdown sheep, kunekune pigs and wild purple martins that roost in 72 birdhouses on the property. The property also features a pond, picnic tables and play areas.

“When we saw the eclipse [was] coming, our first thought was, ‘It would be so cool to watch the animals during the eclipse, see how they behave,’” Cathy Lammer said. “And so we just thought, ‘Well, other people might want to see that, as well.’ It’s kind of sped along our opening, to go ahead and open for this event.”

The yak ranch’s opening weekend will be April 6-8, featuring live music, artisan vendors, animal viewings, a food truck and wine. Admission is free the first two days. On April 8, the admission fee will be $25, with an optional $75 add-on for guests who want a guaranteed spot at one of the ranch’s 30 picnic tables.

As of last week, Cathy Lammer said Woolly Yak had already sold tickets to people from places such as Chicago, Wisconsin and New Jersey.

Why are they coming here? Because all of central Indiana—and a large swath of the rest of the state—lies within the 100-mile-wide path of total darkness for the April 8 eclipse, which will traverse the United States from Texas to Maine.

It’s only in the path of totality that observers will see the corona—the glowing ring of light that surrounds the blacked-out sun. Areas outside the path of totality will experience milder effects. That’s what Indianapolis experienced on Aug. 21, 2017, when a partially obscured sun temporarily dimmed the skies.

And while eclipses themselves are not rare, only a very small part of the Earth lies in the path of totality for any given eclipse. The last time central Indiana was in this path was more than 800 years ago. After next month’s event, it won’t happen again until 2153.

According to Great American Eclipse, an organization that disseminates information about eclipses, Indiana is predicted to receive anywhere from 131,000 to 522,000 visitors for the April 8 eclipse. Only Texas is projected to host more visitors: 270,000 to 1.1 million.

And in a report released last week by the San Francisco-based online home-rental site Airbnb Inc., Indianapolis is the third-most-popular city along the path of totality for Airbnb bookings, behind No. 1 Austin, Texas, and its surrounding hill country, and No. 2 Mazatlan, Mexico. The report does not include specific numbers of bookings in each city.

Morgan Snyder, senior director of public relations at Visit Indy, said the tourism marketing organization is expecting more than 100,000 eclipse visitors in Indianapolis alone.

Small cities, big draw

One of the hottest eclipse spots in the metro area could be Franklin.

Located exactly in the center of the path of totality, the Johnson County city of 27,000 will see 4 minutes, 1.7 seconds of darkness, among the longest periods anywhere in the state. Downtown Indianapolis will get 12.4 seconds less of total darkness.

Tara Payne, who serves as chief of staff to Franklin Mayor Steve Barnett, said her city is expecting 100,000 to 300,000 eclipse visitors.

Payne and her husband, Matt Payne, also own Patches Flower Farm, a side business they run on their 36-acre property south of downtown Franklin.

The Paynes are charging $200 for two-night access to primitive campsites at their farm, a price that includes live music April 7 and eclipse glasses.

Tara Payne said she’s hoping that visitors to the farm—or elsewhere in Franklin—will be impressed with what they see during their eclipse visit. “I absolutely want people to come back.”

As of last week, the farm had received only eight to 10 bookings, but the event website didn’t launch until mid-February, she said. Payne also said people are likely waiting to see what the weather will be like before they commit to a camping site.

Elsewhere in Franklin, The Legends Golf Club north of downtown is hoping to attract golfers and non-golfers alike.

General Manager Ted Bishop said lots of Johnson County establishments are selling parking space to eclipse visitors, but The Legends saw an opportunity to do something different. “We have more that we can offer.”

Yes, visitors can golf. But for April 8 only, the club will convert some of its cart paths to trails for walking and jogging. Visitors can also go fishing—something the club doesn’t typically offer.

“We’re trying to provide some amenities that people are not going to get at other places,” Bishop said. “We can really make this a cool experience for the people that decide to do it.”

The golf club is charging $75 per car. As of Feb. 28, Bishop said, the club had already sold 23 spots to people from eight states, including places as far away as California and New York.

Bishop predicted that the club could attract about 500 people for the eclipse, but he acknowledged that it’s hard to know what to expect. “I hope that all the predictions are right in terms of how many people want to take advantage of this.”

Charity Elliott, the owner of Just Peachy Café in downtown Shelbyville, said she’s also hoping for big crowds.

Like Franklin, Shelbyville is in a prime spot to attract eclipse visitors. The city, population about 20,000, is very close to the center of the path of totality and will see 3 minutes, 59.1 seconds of darkness.

Ordinarily, Just Peachy is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. But on April 5, 6, and 8, the café will stay open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to serve the expected influx of visitors. It will also offer some eclipse-themed specials, desserts and mocktails.

Elliott said she’s expecting to serve 200 to 300 customers per day during the period, compared with 100 to 120 on a normal day. “It’ll be a really tiring few days.”

Shelbyville’s other local eateries will probably see a similar bump in business during eclipse weekend, she said. And once visitors get a taste, she added, maybe they’ll come back.

“This is going to be a great introductory period for all of our restaurants in town,” Elliott said.

Cross-region collaborations

Some companies have eclipse-themed offerings that tie in with other parts of the country.

Indianapolis-based Sun King is one of 13 breweries around the country that are part of “In the Path of Totality,” an initiative of the New York City-based Simons Foundation. The breweries, all of which are within the eclipse’s path of totality, will each develop a specialty beer to commemorate the celestial event. All the beers are named “In the Path of Totality,” but each brewery is crafting its own offering.

Sun King’s beer is a coffee-infused golden ale. The golden ale is reminiscent of the glow of the sun, while the coffee represents darkness. And to add another layer of symbolism, the coffee is from Indianapolis-based Sun Bean, which uses solar power to roast its beans.

Sun King planned to release the beer Friday. The idea, Sun King co-founder and co-owner Dave Colt said, is that people can buy the beer for their home gatherings. The beer will also be available at the viewing parties Sun King will host at its Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers and Kokomo locations and at a select number of venues operated by local not-for-profits such as Newfields and Conner Prairie.

“It’s a very limited, one-off batch,” Colt said. “We made just enough, we feel, to cover all our bases.”

The Omni Severin hotel in downtown Indianapolis is working with Dallas-based Southwest Airlines on an eclipse-themed contest that will offer hotel stays and a unique flight for two winners.

One sweepstakes winner and a guest will win a seat on a Southwest flight from Austin to Indianapolis on April 8, with a free stay at Austin’s Omni hotel April 7 and a free stay at the Omni Severin in downtown Indianapolis April 8. The flight is timed to be in the air during the eclipse.

A second winner will receive a similar lodging and flight prize that includes a Southwest flight at about the same time from Dallas to Pittsburgh. All four of the Omni locations will decorate a room with a celestial theme for the winning contestant.

The Omni Severin is also offering an eclipse-themed package for its other guests that weekend, including a viewing party, eclipse-themed cocktails and other touches.

“We’re trying to make it really fun,” said Omni Severin General Manager Steve Quackenbush.

The 424-room Omni Severin has already booked about half of its rooms for April 7 and 8, Quackenbush said, and it booked 36 just last week. “We expect to sell out both nights.”

Quackenbush said he hadn’t yet looked at where the guests are coming from, but he expects many will travel here from elsewhere in the Midwest.

He also predicted that, once they’re in town, visitors will like what they see. “Once we can get people here to experience the city and see what there is to offer, they really are pretty wowed.”•