Two festivals on either end of the North Olympic Peninsula combined to draw more than 32,000 people to the area over the weekend.
The Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend had more than 30,000 attending, said Kaci Cronkhite, festival manager.
The Stephenie Meyer Weekend festivities drew between 1,500 and 2,000 Twilight fans to Forks, said Marcia Bingham, festival organizer and executive director of the Forks Chamber of Commerce.
In Port Townsend, all the boats and ships had sailed away by Sunday evening, but Cronkhite said the festival was the “best festival ever.”
“We had 30,000-plus people and it has been fantastic,” she said.
“As far as boats, we had 168 in the water and another 50 or 60 on land.
“More than anything, people kept commenting on the number of anchor lights they saw and how many were on the water front this year.”
The sunny weather also added to both festivals’ success.
“I expect . . . we will continue to improve in the future,” Cronkhite said.
Bingham said the events of the weekend, named after the author of the Twilight book saga that’s being converted into a movie series went fairly smoothly.
Bella’s birthday
The birthday cake for the fictional Isabella Swan was cut and served up Sunday.
“All four huge sheet cakes were gone before I even got a piece,” Bingham said.
“I was just delighted by the weather and the fans.
“The rain even started up just as all the activities were finishing, so fans got to see the drizzle in Forks.”
Forks’ famous rain and cloudy climate are an integral part of all four Meyer books.
Most of the events were put on free by the Forks chamber, Bingham said.
“This year there was a charge for the Forks High School tour,” she said.
“But the vast majority of that goes back to the school.”
The tour cost fans $3 per person, and $2.50 went to the school and 50 cents went to the Chamber of Commerce to support Twilight-related events.
Shari Owings, 41, and her daughter, Alyssa Owings, 15, both went on the tour to check out the high school they had read so much about in the Twilight saga.
The two traveled cross-country from Virginia Beach, Va., to see the sites of Forks.
Hesitant reader
Alyssa had wanted to read the books, but her mom was less than enthusiastic about allowing her daughter to read a vampire novel, Shari said.
“But once I picked it up when I was checking it out I was hooked, too — just as much as she was,” Shari said.
“Forks is so much like I pictured it — I grew up in a small town so it brings back a lot of memories.”
Bingham said the most asked question at the festival was if next year would have a follow-up festival.
“We have set a precedent — we have to do it now,” Bingham said.
“But I am delighted.”
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladaily news.com.
