Celestial-themed doughnuts, beer set for total solar eclipse
A doughnut with toppings representing an eclipse is seen at the Donut Dude earlier this month in Liberty Township, Ohio. Businesses are capitalizing on the April 8 solar eclipse.
NEW YORK >> Eclipse-themed beer. Jewelry and ornaments. And doughnuts that capture the sun’s disappearing act with the help of buttercream frosting.
With April 8’s total solar eclipse right around the corner, businesses are ready for the celestial event that will dim skies along a generous path across North America.
There are oodles of special eclipse safety glasses for sale, along with T-shirts emblazoned with clever slogans and other souvenirs — just like the last time the U.S. got a big piece of the total solar eclipse action in 2017.
Hotels and resorts along the prime path are luring in visitors with special packages and Southwest and Delta are selling seats on eclipse-viewing flights. Cities, museums and parks are staging watch parties to draw in tourists as well as residents.
“This is a special event and ... the travel industry certainly is in a very good spot,” said Jie Zhang, a marketing professor at the University of Maryland’s business school. She also noted the eclipse craze arrives at a time when consumers are continuing to ramp up spending on new experiences.
Closer to eclipse day, there are likely to be more special products and promotions from national brands springing up, like Moon Pie’s “eclipse survival kit,” made up of four mini versions of the chocolate snack and two pairs of eclipse glasses.
Small businesses within the eclipse’s 115-mile-wide path of totality appear to be leading the charge so far. Online shops and local vendors have put together a full array of creative, limited-edition merchandise: earrings, baby onesies, ornaments, games, banners and more.
Some towns and business owners have been anticipating the celestial event and huge crowds for years.
After the 2017 eclipse, “I marked my calendar,” said Sam Mcnulty, co-founder of Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland, which is in the eclipse path this time and will see nearly four minutes of dimmed skies.
Last year, Mcnulty’s team brewed a hazy IPA called “The Totality” to help drum up interest in the eclipse.
The on tap debut was a success, and the brewery was soon approached by local grocer Heinen’s to partner for a canned collaboration.
In the coming weeks, “thousands and thousands” of cans are set to hit store shelves, Mcnulty said — adding they decided to go big because of how rare the event is. Cleveland won’t be in the path of totality again for a long time — not until 2444.
“I don’t want to have to wait 420 years to brew the next batch of cans,” he joked.
“So we made a very large one this time.”