Area businesses planning special eclipse parties

The solar eclipse is cause enough for celebration, but experiencing one twice in seven years is something special. Different businesses are rolling out the red carpet to prepare for the event and to bring in as many patrons as possible while doing it.

"I believe we'll see a lot of people coming into the area and those folks are going to be looking for somewhere to go," Rod Barnes, owner of Stooges Restaurant in Jackson, said. "We want to be the place where they go."

The restaurant's previous owners threw an outdoor eclipse party in 2017, and Barnes has every intention of continuing that tradition. Barnes will have live music playing on a stage in the parking lot of his restaurant. He will be serving food and alcohol and plans to have a special menu to celebrate the eclipse.

People are free to bring their own lawn chairs, Barnes said, and to enjoy the party.

Stooges is far from the only business throwing a party to celebrate the eclipse.

John Brown, general manager of the Top of the Marq restaurant in Cape Girardeau, said he's been planning an eclipse party since the start of the year.

"We thought Top of the Marq would be the perfect place to have a good view and would have a different view from anywhere else you're going to get in Cape Girardeau. So we thought, 'why not throw some kind of eclipse party?'" he said.

The event's tickets, which cost $100 plus tips and gratuities, include patio access, a buffet, beer, wine, champagne for a toast during the eclipse and viewing glasses. The tickets are large with a detailed design and are intended to be keepsakes.

Brown made just 50 tickets available for the event, and by the end of January, he had around 25 still available for sale.

"Right now, most of the [sales] have been from people coming from out of town, coming into our area because they've seen our post online or gotten word from someone here locally," he said.

Guests will converge at the downtown restaurant from as far away as Tennessee and Florida.

At Scout Hall, a new entertainment venue that opened in 2023 at 420 Broadway in Cape Girardeau, there will be three back-to-back concerts prior to the eclipse. On Thursday, April 4, Vincent Neil Emerson will play, and on Friday, April 5, Scout Hall's Underground Series will debut a tribute to David Bowie, performed by four accomplished musicians including violinist Sophia Han.

On the Saturday prior to the eclipse, Scout Hall is bringing independent rock band FEEL back to Cape as part of a collaboration with the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, South Side Farms and other downtown businesses involved in the Unitum 573 Constellation Crawl. Scout Hall manager Jeff Rawson said the goal of this event is to raise awareness and support around South Side Farms, while also letting people know about the eclipse viewing that will occur at the farm. Individuals can purchase VIP bracelets that allow them to attend all Unitum 573 Constellation Crawl events.

Rawson said the purpose of all these "eclipse pre-parties" is to build excitement and energy around the eclipse, while also providing a place for visitors in Cape to be entertained.