Forks becomes the real Twilight zone for festival celebrating fictional character’s birthday

FORKS — Bella’s 20th birthday party on Saturday is shaping up to be a bigger bash than last year’s.

In 2007, about two dozen fans celebrated at the Forks Memorial Library during the first community commemoration of the fictional character’s birthday.

This year, at least one hotel is completely booked with fans of the Twilight series of teen vampire novels for the party, said Forks Visitor Center office manager Mike Gurling.

The Dew Drop Inn’s 135 rooms are all booked up and up to 1,000 fans could invade the town, he said.

Isabella Swan lives only in the imaginations of author Stephenie Meyer and fans of the four-novel series about a teen romance between Bella, a mortal girl, and Edward Cullen, a handsome vampire.

The books, all set in the rain, mist and trees of Forks, has brought a modicum of fame — and a rush of visitors — to the West End community.

Hundreds of fans have been through the Forks Visitor Center since the series exploded in popularity in the summer of 2007.

The books have remained for weeks on the top of the USA Today best-selling book list.

Twilight, the first book in the series is No. 1 on the latest list, which is based on sales through Aug. 31.

Breaking Dawn, the concluding volume, is No. 2. New Moon, the second in the series, is No. 3, and Eclipse, the third novel, is No. 5.

“Twilight,” the movie — none of which was filmed in Forks — is to be released Nov. 21.

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