Eclipse visitors at this location will be 'treeted' to a sweet viewing experience
ELLETTSVILLE, Ind. — Danelle Clark and Laura LeJeune‘s anticipation for April 8 is eclipsed only by their desire to make the day special for the many thousands of people expected to flock to their small-town ice cream store that afternoon.
The sisters found out in January that their Jiffy Treet ice cream shop at 4727 W. Ind. 46, on the east edge of Ellettsville, is Monroe County’s epicenter for the April 8 total solar eclipse.
That location, with geographic coordinates 39.216010 latitude and -86.596110 longitude, is predicted to experience 4 minutes and 3 seconds of darkness. The blackout will begin 8 seconds before 3:04 p.m. . The sun will begin to re-emerge a few seconds before 3:08 p.m.
'Seemed like a pretty big deal'
“I think it was early in January when three, four, maybe five people sent me an article that mentioned Jiffy Treet being in the center of the eclipse,” Clark recalled. “From the article, it seemed like a pretty big deal.”
She’s referring to an Indiana Public Media report from December 2023 that placed Jiffy Treet in the center of the local eclipse scene. One sentence mentioned the ice cream store: “The exact epicenter of the once-in-a-generation celestial alignment will pass over the Jiffy Treat (sic) parking lot in Ellettsville at 3:04:52 p.m. and last four minutes and two seconds.”
It was a surprising discovery, Carter said. “I can’t even tell you how shocked I was. I just had no idea. Jiffy Treet being mentioned is mind boggling. We’re just a small ice cream store.”
The news report citing Jiffy Treet caught the sisters’ attention and got them thinking about how to welcome the hordes of people the eclipse is expected to attract. Some estimates predict as many as a quarter of a million people will come to the Bloomington-Ellettsville area to look skyward and experience the eclipse.
A one-day transformation
On April 8, the small ice cream store will transform into a solar eclipse mecca.
A privacy wall being built to separate the outdoor dining area from the parking lot and drive-through lanes will be painted with an ice cream and eclipse scene, Clark said, and serve as a photo background.
She and Lejeune figure eclipse followers who land at Jiffy Treet may expect some special ice cream-based solar eclipse items. Nothing’s been decided for sure, but the two have been brainstorming and refining plans for the big day. They want customers to enjoy a themed frozen confection on solar eclipse day.
They’re overwhelmed by the possibilities. And running out of time to ramp up production of whatever special items they decide to feature.
Clark is dreaming up eclipse-related homemade ice cream flavors. Maybe they will sell a specialty milkshake, and an eclipse Cyclone. Possibly a one-day eclipse sundae. An “I saw the 2024 solar eclipse at Jiffy Treet” T-shirt, perhaps.
Is there a way to dye sugar cones black? How about dipping the top of cones into dark chocolate and sprinkling them with edible gold dust? Would people buy black ice cream darkened with activated charcoal if it turned their tongue black? How would yellow pineapple soft swirl ice cream topped with dark chocolate taste?
“I have so many ideas. It’s been a bit overwhelming,” Clark said. “I just don’t know how to prepare for so many people on one day.”
Get ready: Businesses across Monroe County need to prepare for April 8 total solar eclipse
'Never expected anything like this'
The women bought the Ellettsville and Bedford Jiffy Treet stores in 2019 from brothers Mark and Walter Reszka, who had co-owned and run the ice cream establishments hands-on more than 40 years. A Jiffy Treet on Bloomington’s east side has a different owner.
The sisters worked at the Ellettsville Jiffy Treet for years when they were high school students more than two decades ago. Clark was 17 when she scooped her first ice cream, and her younger sister joined the work crew when she was 14.
“We knew everything about it. And we’ve kept the stores with the same old-fashioned sense, slowly trying to upgrade things,” Clark said. "We never expected anything like this to come along.”
She got a call from a national news outlet seeking permission to broadcast live from Jiffy Treet as the sky grows dark on April 8.
“He asked what we had planned, and I said nothing yet but we’re working on it. I don’t know if he’s expecting a big concert or what,” Clark said.
She guarantees one thing: Ice cream. Lots of ice cream.
Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Solar eclipse 2024: Jiffy Treet prepares for day of darkness
