Tinley Park’s Dairy Palace Gains Spotlight With ‘Trash Mountain’ Film Feature

Tinley Park’s Dairy Palace, a beloved ice cream shop with a legacy of 73 years, gained fresh attention last month. The shop was featured as a filming location in the movie ‘Trash Mountain,’ which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Owner Kevin Hoffmeister shared his enthusiasm, stating, “It was fun,” referring to the experience of his business transforming into a movie set.

The film is scheduled for two screenings in the Chicago area during the Chicago International Film Festival. According to the festival’s website, the screenings are set for October 23 at the AMC NEWCITY 14 in Lincoln Park at 5:15 p.m., and October 24 at the Chicago History Museum at 3 p.m.

‘Trash Mountain’ features an ensemble cast including Caleb Hearon, Zooey Deschanel, Jaboukie Young-White, Kyle Marvin, and Jacki Weaver. Directed by Kris Rey, the movie follows the story of a Chicago man, portrayed by Hearon, who returns to his Missouri hometown to sift through his late father’s belongings.

Reflecting on the experience, Hoffmeister noted that the people involved were remarkably friendly. “People were great,” he said. “Couldn’t have been nicer. I wasn’t expecting that, I kind of expected a bit of Hollywood attitude, but none of that happened at all. Everybody was cool.”

The filming took place last October, marking the end of Dairy Palace’s summer season. Hoffmeister recounted an instance from the filming where Caleb Hearon treated the crew to Dairy Palace ice cream. “He said, ‘Ice cream for everybody.’ There was like over a hundred people,” Hoffmeister reminisced. “Everybody got what they wanted, and he picked up the tab for it.”

Despite a successful premiere, a wide theatrical release date for ‘Trash Mountain’ remains undecided. The movie received a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 15 critics. “Everybody had a good time, I think,” Hoffmeister said. “We certainly did.”

As plans unfold for the film’s full release, Hoffmeister hopes to take his employees to see it. “We’ll take all the people that work at the store,” he said. “We’re gonna take them, when the movie comes out, make a day of it and just pay for everybody to go.”

The Dairy Palace was selected as a filming location from a pool of candidates. According to Hoffmeister, “I guess it was like 10 of them, and they narrowed it down to us at the last minute,” he said. “The director liked our place the best.”

He highlighted the rarity of movie productions in Tinley Park. “Tinley kind of gave them a little pressure about getting permitting, and it was gonna take 60 days, and I called them and was like, listen, when’s the last time a movie was shot in Tinley Park?” Hoffmeister said. “They said never. And I said well, there you go.”

The Dairy Palace remains open, offering cold treats with international exposure. Located at 16760 Oak Park Ave., the shop operates from 2 to 10 p.m. daily. As winter approaches, its closure will depend on weather conditions, as Hoffmeister noted. “If it stays nice, we stay open,” he said. “If you see the yellow lights on, we’re there.”