I received an email the other day from a reporter for Peninsula Daily News, Paige Dickerson, who gave me a heads up on an article they were running in their publication.

A HUGE thank you to Paige for letting me know, and to Peninsula Daily News for giving us permission to post the article here.

Quote:

BELLA’S BIRTHDAY PARTY could be a big bash come September. The Forks City Council established Sept. 13 — Bella Swan’s birthday in Stephenie Meyer’s novel Twilight — as “Stephenie Meyer Day” in 2007. The town celebrated with a cake, a Bella look-alike contest, and peanut butter sandwiches made by the Forks Police Chief Mike Powell, as he took on the role of Bella’s father. That inaugural event drew about 25 people. The 2008 version could have quite a few more. The Forks Chamber of Commerce was contacted by one of the prominent Twilight fan sites — www.twilightmoms.com — and told that about 200 people have already made lodging arrangements for this year’s party, said Mike Gurling, Forks Visitor Center office manager. “We wouldn’t be surprised to see a thousand people here,” Gurling said.

Paige also sent us another article she wrote that includes some really fun Summer Tours happening in Forks this summer.

Quote:

Twilight tours to show off fictional vampires’ home By Paige Dickerson Peninsula Daily News FORKS — Twilight fans will have a new way to explore Forks this summer. The Forks Chamber of Commerce is offering at least three June tours of some of the sites mentioned in the popular vampire book set in Forks. Already, the chamber has one reservation, said Mike Gurling, Forks Visitor Center office manager. “It’s a man and his daughter from Ohio,” he said. “He made the reservation the day after we put it on the Web site.” Gurling will lead the tours, scheduled June 7, June 14 and June 28 at 9 a.m., beginning at the Forks Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, 1411 S. Forks Ave. Stephenie Meyer’s novel details the love story between the human Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen after Bella moves to rainy Forks to live with her dad, Charlie, the city police chief. Twilight was the first of a series, followed by New Moon and Eclipse. The fourth book in Meyer’s series, Breaking Dawn, will be released Aug. 2. The books have become a teen phenomenon, drawing attention from thousands of fans. Many of those fans have trekked to Forks to explore the town where their beloved characters live in the books. Filming of a movie version of Twilight, with no scenes filmed in Forks, has finished. The movie is expected to open in theaters on Dec. 12. Saturday tours The scheduled dates of the tours are all Saturdays. “We could easily do it any day of the week, but we think that Saturdays will be the best day for the people who want to go on the tour,” Gurling said. The tour is expected to last about 2½ hours, but Gurling said the time could vary, based on how long each stop takes. “We really won’t know for sure until we do it the first time,” he said. The chamber has dedicated a portion of its Web site at www.forkswa.com/index.html to Twilight, with a map pointing out all the notable locations from the books. The tour will include the hospital, police station, high school and LaPush. Also on the tour will be a meadow that Gurling and Forks Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Marcia Bingham have decided must be the location of one of the key scenes in the novel. Reservations are required. The cost per person is based on the number of passengers. For two riders, the cost will be $20 each; for four riders, $15 each; and for six to eight riders, $12 each. Although the chamber has planned only three tours, Gurling said more could be added if the demand exists. “We are just testing to see how much interest there is,” he said. For more information, phone Gurling or Bingham at 360-374-2531.

You can visit the Forks website and see the list of Summer tours HERE.

http://www.forkswa.com/1.html


~Gypsy

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