Dairy Palace Featured in Film ‘Trash Mountain’

Last month, the 73-year-old Dairy Palace in Tinley Park gained new attention after serving as a filming location for the movie “Trash Mountain.” This film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The Dairy Palace owner, Kevin Hoffmeister, shared his excitement about the filming, stating, “It was fun. It was a lot of fun.” The movie will have two screenings in the Chicago area this month during the Chicago International Film Festival.

Screenings are scheduled for 5:15 p.m. on Oct. 23 at the AMC NEWCITY 14 in Lincoln Park and at 3 p.m. on Oct. 24 at the Chicago History Museum.

Directed by Kris Rey, the film stars Caleb Hearon, Zooey Deschanel, Jaboukie Young-White, Kyle Marvin, and Jacki Weaver. The story follows a Chicago man, portrayed by Hearon, who returns to his Missouri hometown to deal with his recently deceased father’s belongings.

“People were great. Couldn’t have been nicer. I wasn’t expecting that,” Hoffmeister commented on the film crew’s visit.

The film shoot occurred last October at the end of Dairy Palace’s summer season. Hoffmeister reminisced about the end of the filming day when Hearon bought ice cream for the entire crew, stating, “Ice cream for everybody.” Over a hundred people enjoyed the treat on Hearon’s tab.

A wide theatrical release date for the movie is yet to be set. After its premiere in Toronto, “Trash Mountain” received a 100% fresh rating from 15 critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hoffmeister expressed his intention to take his employees to see the movie when it’s widely released. He said, “We’ll take all the people that work at the store and make a day of it.”

Dairy Palace was chosen as the filming backdrop from several contenders. “I guess it was like 10 of them, and they narrowed it down to us at the last minute,” Hoffmeister noted, adding that the director preferred their venue.

This filming marked the first movie shoot in Tinley Park. Hoffmeister shared that he managed to ease the town’s permitting concerns by pointing out it was the first filming in the area.

Currently, Dairy Palace, located at 16760 Oak Park Ave., is open daily from 2 to 10 p.m. The shop usually closes for winter towards the end of October depending on weather conditions. “If you see the yellow lights on, we’re there,” Hoffmeister mentioned.