Posted on 06/17/2005 2:02:21 PM PDT by FlyingHellfish
If you think moon boots and Tater Tots are the coolest things ever, clear your calendar for June 24 and 25. You´re going to Preston, and it´s going to be sweet.
The Preston Chamber of Commerce expects up to 10,000 people to show up for its Napoleon Dynamite Festival. This would more than double the town´s population (within Preston city limits) of nearly 5,000.
Gosh, how many people do you think can squeeze into Preston for a weekend?
If the chamber´s prediction is correct, they´ll see the biggest crowd ever for a town event. And Preston is getting ready faster than you can say "Yessss!"
"I just think it´s going to be a fun, light atmosphere where (visitors) can hang out, do a tour and some of the contests," says Pennie Christensen, the Preston Chamber´s executive director.
In case you´ve lived under a rock for the past year, "Napoleon Dynamite" tells the story of a high school teen who lives in Preston with his older brother and grandmother. Let´s just say this isn´t "Beverly Hills 90210," and Napoleon isn´t exactly Brandon Walsh, OK? He befriends a couple of other school misfits and helps one run for class president. Along the way, we meet an assortment of colorful characters, including Napoleon´s over-confident Uncle Rico, his technology-hooked brother Kip and the family pet, a llama named Tina.
Preston hasn´t been the same since the film´s 2004 release. About 5,000 people have come to Preston specifically because of the movie, Christensen says. The chamber´s Web site now sells "Napoleon Dynamite" merchandise on its online gift gallery. The merchandise sells like hotcakes in Preston, too. Fans pour into the chamber office and other local businesses to buy what locals call a "sweet map," which contains directions to all the Napoleon landmarks in Preston. Christensen, who up until recently has been the only person staffing the chamber office, struggles to keep up with the 40 to 50 e-mails and up to 30 Napoleon-related calls she receives each day. The office is hiring part-time help to keep up with demand.
People come from all over the world, including Guam and Japan, to see the tiny town.
"It´s so fun when people come in. They´re so excited," Christensen says. "They walk in and kind of look at me, and I say, ´Let me guess, Napoleon.´ "
Christensen suggested the city host the festival because of the throngs of tourists she knew had come to visit the place where the movie was filmed.
"I have had thousands of people through this chamber," Christensen says. "I brought (the festival) up at our board meeting. We´ve just kind of formed a committee to do it."
Town meetings have been held weekly for the past few weeks to decide the many logistics needed for the festival, including parking and lodging. The chamber now is working on finding volunteers to help with the festival.
Preston´s one motel, the Plaza Motel, is booked on June 24 and has a few rooms remaining for June 25.
Hollie Moser, 28, was born in Preston and has lived there most of her life. She works at the Plaza Motel and says she sees plenty of Napoleon fans walk through the door.
Three or four fans visit or stay there every day, she estimates. There´s a "Napoleon Dynamite" poster in the Plaza´s office. The cast and crew stayed at the motel while Napoleon was filmed, and now when guests come to the hotel they can request one of the rooms where the actors slept.
"We have a sign that says ´Heck yes, you can sleep in Napoleon´s bed,´ " Moser says.
Although the film´s creators and main stars likely won´t be there (they´ve been invited but are too busy to attend, Christensen says), most of the locals who were in the film will be on hand. And that might include Tina, the llama. But Tina recently became a mother, so her appearance will depend on her slightly unpredictable temperament.
"We´ll try to have her there if she won´t be too nervous to be there with her baby," Christensen says.
You can also see the orange van Uncle Rico drives in the film. West Motor Company, a Preston car dealership, bought the van after the film was released. The company sometimes displays it for community events.
And remember the Happy Hands Club featured in the film? The real Preston group, which uses sign language to perform songs, is expected to perform during the festival.
Most Preston residents are eager to show off their town, Christensen says. And the friendly locals have charmed Napoleon fans. Tina the llama is one of the few residents to object.
Tina had to be moved from her original location after the film was released because too many people were visiting her, and she wasn´t happy about receiving high volumes of visitors.
It´s the friendly vibe that keeps Moser in Preston. Moser left Preston for a few years but returned when she married another local, a man who has never lived anywhere else.
"Just that it´s a small town. Everybody knows everybody," Moser says. "They´re nice to everybody."
The Napoleon Dynamite Festival will be June 24 and 25 in Preston. Admission to most of the festival events is free, but some events, including the contests, will have admission fees, according to the Preston Chamber of Commerce.
For information about the festival, including how to register for the contests, where to stay and event locations, go to the chamber´s Web site: www.prestonidaho.org. Or call the chamber at (208) 852-2703.
HERE'S THE SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, JUNE 24
• Noon: Pop-n-Pins Open Bowling.
• 1 p.m.: Tater Tot Eating Contest at Pop-n-Pins (must pre-register to enter).
• 4 to 8 p.m.: Moon Boot Dance-Impersonation-Look Alike Contest (must pre-register).
• 5 p.m.: Tater Tot Eating Contest at Pop-n-Pins (must pre-register).
• 7:30 p.m.: Napoleon Dynamite screening at the Worm Creek Opera House.
• 8 to 11 p.m.: Parking Lot Street Dance.
SATURDAY, JUNE 25
• 7 to 10 a.m.: Chuckwagon Breakfast, Preston 1st Ward (pre-register).
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Rex Kwon Dojo Tour.
• 10 a.m.: Parade in Franklin.
• 10 a.m. to noon: Tetherball Tournament at Oakwood Playground (pre-register).
• 10 a.m.: Tater Tot Eating Contest at Pop-n-Pins and open bowling (pre-register).
• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Moon Boot Dance-Impersonation-Look Alike Contest (pre-register).
• 1 p.m.: Tater Tot Eating Contest at Pop-n-Pins. Finale.
• 2 to 4 p.m.: Sweet Bike and Roller Blade Races on Main Street (pre-register).
• 2 p.m.: Napoleon Dynamite screening at The Worm Creek Opera House.
• 4 p.m.: Football Throwing Contest at Oakwood Playground (pre-register).
• 7:30 p.m.: Napoleon Dynamite screening at The Worm Creek Opera House.
• 7 p.m.: Grand finale of contests.
• All day: Bus tours of Napoleon Dynamite sites. Call (208) 852-0283 for pre-registration. Cost is $5 per person.
Well it looks sweet. I wish I could, but I have to feed Tina, and she is a fat lard.
If 10,000 people show up, it will triple the town's population of 5,000 (10,000 + 5,000 = 15,000 = 3 x 5,000).
That's like a dollar an hour.
Sounds almost as much fun as the Testicle Festival next door in Montana.
Fine then. Stay home and eat all the freakin' chips.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.