FORKS — The height of the Twilight craze might be past, but it continues to bring fortune to Forks — sometimes in unusual packages.
The Friends of Forks Library’s roof fund received a $100 donation from Alexander County Friends of the Library in Taylorsville, N.C., all because of a Twilight-themed teen sleep-over event at the Taylorsville library, said Ellen Matheny, Friends of Forks Library treasurer.
“Donations to the Forks Library Renovation Fund are coming from all over the nation. And the popularity of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series of books and movies is the reason,” Matheny said.
The $775,000 project includes a new roof, and the interior will be renovated for new wiring for technology connections and an updated layout.
The Forks Library is at 71 S. Forks Ave.
The renovation fund now totals $75,000, and the goal is $175,000, Matheny said.
The remaining $600,000 in renovation costs will be covered by the North Olympic Library System levy and timber tax revenue, she said.
The Taylorsville donation was the result of a Skype session — a form of computerized video chat — between eight Forks High School teens and a large group of North Carolina teens who attended a library-sponsored slumber party to celebrate the release of the final movie, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part II,” in early November.
Friends of Forks Library had sent materials on the real Forks — and some Twilight souvenirs — to the Taylorsville library before the sleepover, which Matheny said might have included a mention of the fundraising effort.
“The group talked and laughed for about an hour, on what it is like to live in Forks, how cute the boys are at Forks High School, and other topics of great importance,” Matheny said.
Matheny said a check for $100 from the Alexander Friends of the Library arrived in the mail last week, and the North Carolina library system included a mention of the Forks fundraising effort on its own Twitter feed.
Twilight is a “calling card” for people living in Forks, Matheny said.
“What we do once we’ve made those connections is what contributes to a life full of new experiences and meaningful associations,” she said.
Donations to the library fund can be made online at www.nols.org — click on the “donate” button — or mail or drop off a check at any Clallam County library branch.
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
